SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Magistrates Courts: Closure

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Solicitor-General when he next expects to meet representatives of the lay magistracy to discuss the closure of small magistrates courts.

Mike O'Brien: I regularly meet with lay magistrates when visiting areas of the country; however, the specific issue is not regularly raised.

Ministry of Justice

David Taylor: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the creation of the Ministry of Justice on the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mike O'Brien: The creation of the Ministry of Justice does not affect the responsibilities of the Law Officers or those of their Departments. The prosecuting authorities, including the CPS, will remain independent, and subject to our statutory superintendence. The existing trilateral arrangements for the criminal justice system are preserved. The Law Officers and the CPS play a full part in those arrangements.

Antisocial Behaviour: Prosecutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment he has made of the conduct of recent prosecutions by the Crown Prosecution Service for breaches of criminal antisocial behaviour orders; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Since 2004, the Crown Prosecution Service has had a team of specialist prosecutors providing guidance and training to all prosecutors in the effective application of antisocial behaviour legislation. This has ensured a consistent approach to the prosecution of antisocial behaviour across all areas, including breaches of those orders granted following conviction, and following application by a relevant authority.

Reoffenders: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will visit Kettering constituency to discuss with local people the prosecution of persistent offenders by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mike O'Brien: I will certainly consider such a visit if it can be accommodated in my diary of visits to other areas of the country.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting Shops

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what change there has been in the number of betting shops since the enactment of the Gambling Act 2006.

Richard Caborn: Local magistrates courts currently issue bookmakers' permits. The Government does not hold information centrally on the number of bookmakers' permits held.
	However, the Gambling Commission has undertaken to publish figures on the number of licensed betting offices in 2008.

Betting Shops

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many betting shops there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Richard Caborn: Local magistrates courts currently issue bookmakers permits. The Government does not hold information centrally on the number of bookmakers permits held.
	However, the Gambling Commission has undertaken to publish figures on the number of licensed betting offices in 2008.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the potential value of land in the Olympic park following the games in 2012;
	(2)  what the sharing mechanism will be between the National Lottery and London council tax payers in respect of any windfall profits earned from the sale of land in the Olympic park after 2012;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the likely provision to the national lottery good causes from any windfall profits earned from the sale of land in the Olympic park after 2012 to which she referred in her statement of 15 March 2007,  Official Report, column 451.

Tessa Jowell: The Mayor of London and I have now agreed after further discussion that we will rewrite our memorandum of understanding to put in place profit-sharing arrangements. This will provide that, after the The London Development Agency (LDA) has been repaid for the purchase and remediation of the land, the first call on any profit will be to repay the lottery.
	LDA is currently leading detailed work to make a thorough assessment of the potential end values of land in the Olympic park and we await the outcome of that work. At this point—over five years before the games—it is difficult to predict this with certainty. However, land disposal plans will aim to maximise land revenues.

Written Questions

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to reply to questions  (a) 132550,  (b) 132557 and  (c) 132636, on the Olympic park, tabled by the hon. Member for East Devon on 18 April.

Tessa Jowell: I can confirm that the questions referred to have been answered today.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Advertising

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House which  (a) advertising agencies and  (b) other organisations supplied consultancy services for advertising campaigns for his Office in each of the last five years; and what the cost of these services was.

Jack Straw: None.

Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House how many times his Office was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: None.

Departments: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House how much has been spent by his Office on legal fees in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: None.

Departments: Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House what the cost of leasing buildings and office space was for his Office in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: This information is not held. For the period in question, the Leader of the House of Commons Office was a minor occupier in property leased by the Privy Council Office and was not hard charged for the space occupied.

Departments: Public Relations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Leader of the House how much was spent by his Office on public relations in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: None.

Members Staff: Unsolicited Official Documents

Dai Davies: To ask the Leader of the House what guidance is available to hon. Members' staff on action which they should take on receipt of unsolicited official documents.

Jack Straw: Hon. Members' staff are employed by the hon. Member concerned. It is a matter for hon. Members, as their employer, to give advice to their staff on any matter, including through the standard contract of employment.
	Members' staff are subject to the same obligations under the law in respect of handling and returning any unsolicited official documents as other citizens.

Parliamentary Scrutiny: Legislative Drafting

Graham Allen: To ask the Leader of the House which Bills were subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in each of the last 10 years; and which Bills he plans to allocate for pre-legislative scrutiny in the next 12 months.

Jack Straw: Bills which have been published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny since 1997 are listed, by parliamentary session. The list includes draft bills published so far in the current session. The Government have also announced that a draft Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill will be published in the current session. Decisions about bills to be published in draft in the next session will be announced in due course.
	 1997-98
	Pension Sharing on Divorce
	Criminal Justice (Terrorism and Conspiracy)
	Limited Liability Partnerships
	 1998-99
	Financial Services and Markets
	Food Standards
	Local Government (Organisation and Standards)
	Electronic Communications
	Freedom of Information
	Political Parties, Elections and Referendums
	 1999-2000
	Commonhold and Leasehold Reform
	Football
	Insolvency
	International Criminal Court
	Regulatory Reform
	Water
	 2000-01
	Export Control and Non-Proliferation
	Proceeds of Crime
	 2001-02
	Communications
	Companies
	Extradition
	Justice (Northern Ireland)
	Local Government
	Mental Health
	NHS (Wales)
	 2002-03
	Civil Contingencies
	Corruption
	Electricity (Trading and Transmission)
	Gambling (part)
	Gender Recognition
	Housing
	Mental Incapacity
	Nuclear Sites and Radioactive Substances
	Police (Northern Ireland)
	Public Audit (Wales)
	 2003-04
	Animal Welfare
	Charities
	Civil Service
	Criminal Defence Service
	Disability Discrimination
	Gambling (part)
	Identity Cards
	Mental Health
	Regional Assemblies
	School Transport
	Single European Currency
	Transport (Wales)
	 2004-05
	Children (Contact) and Adoption
	Commissioner for Older People (Wales)
	Company Law Reform
	Corporate Manslaughter
	Natural Environment and Rural Communities
	 2005-06
	Terrorism
	Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement
	Coroners
	Legal Services
	 2006-07 (to date)
	Climate Change
	Human Tissue and Embryos
	Local Transport
	Regulatory Enforcement and Sanction

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abandoned Vehicles

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many investigatory cases have been delayed because of Operation Cube; and when he expects the review to be brought to conclusion.

Paul Goggins: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) has provided PSNI with a list of those cases that it believes may have been affected. PSNI is presently gathering further information regarding the investigative status of cases on the list and their priority before deciding upon further action. Given the current position of this exercise PSNI are unable to provide a timeline or quantify the cases involved.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff funded by the public purse were classified as people without posts in  (a) his office and  (b) its agencies, prior to the restoration of the devolved institutions.

Paul Goggins: Currently nil staff funded by the public purse were classified as people without posts in the Northern Ireland Office or any of its agencies prior to the restoration of the devolved institutions.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in his Department's balance sheet  (a) is in 2007 and  (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project;
	(2)  what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by his Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years;
	(3)  what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project;
	(4)  what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments by his Department were  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Peter Hain: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) does not have any private finance initiative projects.
	The NIO has an off-balance sheet commitment under public-private partnership (PPP) which is the Causeway project. The Causeway project is a partnership between Fujitsu Services and the NIO. The PPP contract was let with Fujitsu in August 2003 to deliver a managed service related to the electronic sharing of information across the criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland over a 10 year period.

Forensic Science: Criminal Investigation

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the potential for the operational review of techniques on forensic analysis (Operation Cube) to delay the conduct of police investigations in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: An issue has arisen regarding examinations for traces of DNA undertaken by the Forensic Science Service (FSS), during the period December 1999 and September 2005. FSS has provided PSNI with a list of those cases that it believes may have been affected. PSNI is presently gathering further information regarding the investigative status of cases on the list and their priority before deciding upon further action.

Payments: Police Service of Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much discount in payment for goods and services was lost by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last three years owing to a failure to pay invoices within the stipulated period.

Paul Goggins: It is PSNI policy always to avail itself of supplier discount when offered. No discount has been lost by PSNI in any of the last three years.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many heavily armoured Land Rovers are available to British troops in each region of Afghanistan.

Des Browne: There are around 140 Weapon-Mount Installation Kit Land Rovers and 130 Snatch Land Rovers deployed with British forces in southern Afghanistan. I am withholding deployment by region as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Armed Forces: Dental Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of one defence dental officer was in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: In order to calculate the average cost of one uniformed defence medical services dental officer, average capitation rates have been obtained as follows. These include pay, allowances, earnings-related national insurance contributions and superannuation as well as allowances for support, training and higher formation costs. It has not been possible to obtain historic rates prior to 2004-05.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total capitation rate (£) 
			 2004-05 174,103 
			 2005-06 179,326 
			 2006-07 185,809 
		
	
	The pay of all general dental practitioners is calculated from a single incremental tri-service pay spine, and the pay element of the aforementioned figures is based on a simple average across the spine. An average figure has been used in calculating the other elements (as noted) making up the capitation rates.
	These do not take into account the differing rates across the services for support functions such as accommodation and infrastructure.

Armed Forces: Facilities

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incentives are given to garrison commanders and unit commanders to generate income from the hire to the public of military facilities for non-military purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Under the Treasury's Wider Markets Initiative, garrison and unit commanders—in common with the rest of the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence and other Government Departments—are encouraged to exploit commercially those assets which need to be retained but are not fully used.
	The Treasury allows Departments to keep, and use as additional expenditure, the revenue they earn from Wider Markets. Within the armed forces and MOD, the extra income can be used both towards achieving core objectives and, at budget holders' discretion, funding 'quality of life' improvements at the workplace of the unit concerned. Incentives to generate income can be summarised as:
	Better value for defence, resulting from this extra contribution to running costs.
	More efficient use of irreducible spare capacity.
	A benefit to public relations from working more closely with industry and the public. An opportunity for personnel to acquire commercial skills.

Armed Forces: Intimidation

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent Continuous Attitude Survey findings relating to bullying and harassment in the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: These surveys demonstrate that we are listening to our armed forces personnel. Like any good employer, we need to monitor the long-term perceptions of our people so that we can review our policies.
	Harassment and bullying are unacceptable in the armed forces, because of their impact on individuals, team cohesion and thus operational effectiveness. The armed forces are committed to raising awareness that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated, and allegations will be thoroughly investigated and action taken, where appropriate.
	The armed forces have entered into formal agreements with the Commission for Racial Equality to promote racial equality and take action to prevent racial harassment and discrimination and, with the Equal Opportunities Commission to prevent and deal with sexual harassment. They also have a range of work in hand in response to the Adult Learning Inspectorate report on "Safer Training", the HCDC's report on Duty of Care and Sir Nicholas Blake's report on the death at the Princess Royal Barracks Deepcut.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people who served in the armed forces between 1948 and 1974 do not receive a pension arising from that service.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 26 April 2007
	The information requested is not held.

Armed Forces: Schools

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria apply to applications from  (a) service personnel and  (b) civilian personnel for places in Service Children's Education schools.

Derek Twigg: The admission criteria for SCE schools is contained within Joint Service Publication (JSP) 342 - Education of Service Children.
	Chapters 3 and 6 contain details relevant to admission and can be found at:
	www.sceschools.com/publications
	The document is currently being updated.

Armed Forces: Schools

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place for discussions between his Department and  (a) the Department for Education and Skills,  (b) devolved administrations and  (c) local authorities on the educational needs of service children; what progress has been made on the implementation of a cross-UK forum to discuss these issues; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: There is regular contact between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education and Skills, the devolved administrations and local authorities regarding the educational needs of service children. Both Departments have a nominated lead for these matters and policy discussions—such as MOD input for the new schools admissions code—take place as required. The MOD Children's Education Advisory Service is the Department's main conduit in dealing with devolved administrations and local authorities for specific casework.
	The inaugural meeting of the Service Children's Education Forum was held on 17 April this year and was attended by representatives from DFES, the devolved administrations, the MOD Children's Education Advisory Service and Service Children's Education (for service schools overseas). The forum's main purpose is to raise and resolve educational issues that affect service children, particularly where movement in or between the different countries of the UK or between the UK and overseas is a significant contributing factor. The forum will meet in the spring and autumn of each year.

Armed Forces: Schools

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions his Department has had with the Department for Education and Skills on improving the transfer of the statements of service children with special educational needs and high mobility.

Derek Twigg: Discussions are continuing with the Department for Education and Skills—and with devolved education authorities—to identify ways of addressing difficulties that arise when service children with special educational needs move between local authority areas, between the devolved education authorities of the UK or between the UK and overseas. This issue was raised most recently in the service children's education forum on 17 April this year.
	The MOD Children's Education Advisory Service provides direct support to service families that have registered a child with special educational needs, which they are advised and strongly encouraged to do. This includes acting with and on behalf of parents in establishing how needs will be met in a new location and advising and accompanying them in dealings with local authorities, education authorities and the SEN and Disabilities Tribunal.

Armed Forces: Weapons

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) 51 mm light mortars,  (b) 81 mm mortars,  (c) 105 mm light guns,  (d) AS 90 artillery guns and  (e) 227 mm multiple launch rocket systems are (i) in service and (ii) fit for purpose.

Adam Ingram: The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   In service  Fit for purpose 
			 51 mm mortars 1,190 (1)1,081 
			 81 mm mortars 339 339 
			 105 mm light guns 142 142 
			 AS90 howitzers 146 (2)143 
			 Multiple launch rocket system 59 59 
			 (1) 109 awaiting inspection and repair (2) Three permanently with industry for reference and test models. 
		
	
	Fit for purpose in this context has been interpreted as equipment which is, or will be shortly, available to the user for the purpose intended.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles are  (a) in service and  (b) fit for purpose, broken down by type.

Adam Ingram: The following table gives details of the total number of armoured vehicles in service. Those vehicles deployed with units and with units used in training are all deemed to be fit for purpose. The remainder of the fleet is undergoing programmed maintenance and repair, in storage, on loan and with the design authority and also used for reference, training aids and specific trials.
	
		
			  Vehicle type  Fleet size  Fit for purpose 
			 Challenger 2 385 320 
			 CVR(T) 1,158 979 
			 FV430 Mk 2 1,265 1,031 
			 FV430 Bulldog(1) 227 187 
			 Saxon GWR(2) 442 94 
			 Saxon Patrol 147 119 
			 Warrior 793 717 
			 (1) Bulldog vehicles are currently in the course of delivery to MOD. The fleet sizes therefore relate to the total requirement and fit for purpose to the number delivered to date. (2) Saxon GWR is currently being withdrawn from service.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Peace Keeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Land Rovers of each type have turned over in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan since the first deployment of British armed forces in each country.

Adam Ingram: Our collective records show that to date, there have been some 87 reported accidents, in Iraq, of Land Rovers "overturning without first colliding" and 13 in Afghanistan.
	I can also confirm that at least 22 of these incidents in Iraq involved the Snatch variant Land Rover and at least two involved the WMIK variant; in Afghanistan at least three involved the Snatch and one involved a WMIK variant. The other incidents in both theatres involved the standard 'General Service' or 'Fitted For Radio' type variants. Further details of these vehicles could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Costs

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2007,  Official Report, column 50W, on the Army: costs, what the reasons were for the amount spent on maintenance of the property occupied by the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland, broken down by main budget heading.

Derek Twigg: The figure of £4,702.52 previously provided under the generic heading 'maintenance' contained an error of £17.50. The total figure spend on maintenance was actually £4,685.02, which covered a range of costs. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Work carried out  Cost (£) 
			 Supply gardening sundries 196.20 
			 Various electrical repairs 288.40 
			 Power wash external areas 654.48 
			 Treat flea infestation 100.00 
			 Wash windows/frames (internal and external) 599.25 
			 Rebed loose masonry at patio wall 341.61 
			 Eradicate wasps nest at driveway 99.88 
			 Clean out guttering and down pipes 352.50 
			 Replace dish washing machine 348.92 
			 Rectify leak at waste disposal m/c 102.23 
			 Trace/rectify leak in roof space 156.28 
			 Supply and fix chrome soap dish 14.61 
			 Reseal kitchen sink 26.40 
			 Supply and fix handle at T/dryer 88.13 
			 Replace x 8 tensioners at curtains 188.00 
			 Replace bath c/w taps etc. 587.50 
			 Replacement of oil pump 185.51 
			 Testing of portable appliances (33) 88.20 
			 Replace thermostatic valves x 2 125.92 
			 Planned maintenance for boilers and smoke alarms 141.00 
			 Total 4,685.02

Army: Greater London

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which occasions the General Officer Commanding London District met hon. Members and peers in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Event 
			 11 May 2006 Armed forces parliamentary scheme visit. 
			 17 June 2006 Lunch with Lord Inge 
			 27 July 2006 Office call with Lord Guthrie 
			 4 December 2006 Dinner with Philip Dunne MP 
			 17 January 2007 Dinner with Keith Simpson MP 
			 21 March 2007 Ex Household Division MP's dinner at Queen's Guard:-Hugo Swire MP, Andrew Robathan MP, Ben Wallace MP, Hugh Robertson MP, Mike Penning MP, David Tredinnick MP, and Adam Holloway MP 
		
	
	The above list does not include meetings with Ministers.

Army: Ski Lodges

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiments of the Army have ski lodges.

Derek Twigg: The Army does not own any ski lodges. A number of lodges are rented by the Army to enable the conduct of Adventurous Training Activities under the auspices of the Joint Service Adventurous Training Scheme.
	Individual regiments or corps are at liberty to have ski lodges using non-public funds. Information on which regiments or corps do so is not collated.

Chief of Defence Materiel

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the claims for expenses made by the Chief of Defence Materiel since January 2005.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 14 May 2007
	The Chief of Defence Materiel has made no claims for expenses since 2 April 2007, when the post was established.

Civilian Operational Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 622W, on the civilian operational allowance, what progress has been made on the introduction of a new allowance.

Derek Twigg: The new allowance was introduced with effect from 1 April 2007. It replaces the previous separate entitlement to claim overtime, travelling time, shift allowance, night duty, stand-by, recall and on-call allowances. All MOD civil servants deploying to operational theatres now receive a simplified allowance 'package' comprising a one-off pre-deployment grant and, during deployment, the operational deployment allowance and the operational working allowance.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Adam Ingram: The specific information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, summaries of MOD expenditure on external assistance are available in the Library of the House for the years 1995-96 to 2005-06.
	Figures for financial year 2006-07 will be placed in the Library before the summer recess.

Departments: Intimidation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of bullying have been investigated in his Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld.

Derek Twigg: The information is summarised in the following table for armed forces and MOD civilian personnel in the period April 2006 to March 2007.
	
		
			  Service  Investigated( 1)  Upheld( 2) 
			 Royal Navy 13 9 
			 Army 60 6 
			 Royal Air Force 17 4 
			 MOD Civil Service 39 4 
			 (1) This column records the number of formal complaints of bullying reported within each service and the MOD civil service. This number includes ongoing cases and complaints which were later withdrawn. (2) This column records the number of formal complaints upheld and excludes ongoing investigations (i.e. where some type of action was taken against the respondent). 
		
	
	The Department's Unified Diversity Strategy makes clear that bullying and harassment are not tolerated in the Ministry of Defence or the armed forces. Revised complaints procedures were published in January 2007. Ongoing internal communications keep personnel informed of their rights and responsibilities.

Departments: Official Hospitality

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) gifts and  (b) hospitality were received by the (i) Chief of the General Staff, (ii) Adjutant General, (iii) General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and (iv) Commander in Chief Land in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Between 26 April 2006 and 26 April 2007 the gifts and hospitality received and accepted by the Chief of the General Staff, the Adjutant General, the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland and the Commander in Chief Land are shown in the following tables.
	During the same period, the Chief of the General Staff received 209 offers of hospitality/gifts and accepted 46. Commander in Chief Land received 75 offers, and accepted 19. General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland received 41 offers and accepted 16 and the Adjutant General received 42 offers and accepted 10.
	
		
			  Chief of the General Staff 
			  Date  Provider  Description 
			 1 May 2006 Brazilian Chief of the General Staff Books 
			 2 May 2006 General Commanding 1 Division Plaque and clock 
			 2 May 2006 Chilean ambassador Book 
			 2 May 2006 Chief of Joint Operations Chile Pencil case 
			 2 May 2006 Chief of Joint Operations Chile Metal salver 
			 2 May 2006 Chief of Joint Operations Chile Pair of spurs 
			 10 May 2006 Australian Chief of the General Staff Boomerang 
			 22 May 2006 Oxford Union Address and dinner 
			 25 May 2006 Editor of the House Magazine Dinner 
			 26 May 2006 Royal Chelsea Flower Show Tickets and lunch 
			 1 June 2006 De la Rue Dinner 
			 6 June 2006 Bucks Club Dinner and speech 
			 13 June 2006 Deborah Tan Dinner 
			 14 June 2006 Andrew Nurnberg Lunch 
			 15 June 2006 Aberdeen Asset Managers Scottish music spectacular 
			 16 June 2006 Robert Fox Lunch 
			 20 June 2006 Royal Academy of Music Concert and dinner 
			 23 June 2006 Afghani Minster of Defence Plaque 
			 29 June 2006 Fergus Greer (Studios) Drinks 
			 2 July 2006 Brazilian Defence Attaché Books 
			 8 July 2006 Lawn Tennis Association Tickets and lunch 
			 14 July 2006 Dutch Chief of the General Staff Statuette 
			 15 July 2006 Jamaican Chief of Staff Picture 
			 20 July 2006 Pakistani Vice Chief of the Army Staff Plaque 
			 23 July 2006 Canadian Forces Base Suffield and British Army Training Unit Suffield Embroidery 
			 24 July 2006 Vauxhall Cross Dinner 
			 25 July 2006 Archbishop of Canterbury Reception 
			 31 August 2006 Victory Services Association Lunch 
			 5 September 2006 Defence Correspondents Cocktail party 
			 6 September 2006 Brazilian embassy Reception 
			 6 September 2006 Pakistani high commissioner Reception 
			 7 September 2006 Ralph Zoellner (Boeing) Dinner 
			 12 September 2006 Lieutenant General Shoke Figurine 
			 14 September 2006 Brigadier-General Quezeda Plaque 
			 19 September 2006 The Lord Boyce Dinner 
			 20 September 2006 Egyptian embassy Reception 
			 21 September 2006 Saudi Arabian embassy Reception 
			 25 September 2006 Vickers Defence Systems Bronze cannon 
			 3 October 2006 Nigerian Chief of the General Staff Book 
			 2 December 2006 New Zealand Army Chief Ceremonial weapon 
			 2 December 2006 New Zealand Army Chief Scarf and gloves 
			 2 December 2006 New Zealand Army Chief Plaque 
			 2 December 2006 New Zealand Chief of the Defence Force Plaque 
			 2 December 2006 Australian Army Chief Boomerang 
			 2 December 2006 Australian Army Chief Plaque 
			 2 December 2006 Australian Army Chief Scarf 
		
	
	
		
			  Adjutant General 
			  Date  Provider  Description 
			 6 May 2006 The Babcock Inter-Services Championship Rugby match/reception 
			 23 May 2006 Visit of the British American Forecasting Exchange (BAFEX) Gift—paperweight 
			 29 June 2006 The British Forces Foundation Annual charity ball 
			 6 October 2006 The Variety Club Lunch—guest 
			 11 November 2006 Royal British Legion—Festival of Remembrance Guest—Army Board representative 
			 14 November 2006 United Services Mess Remembrance dinner/speech 
			 9 January 2007 The Basic Skills Agency Reception/speech 
			 15 January 2007 Visit from UAE, Chief of Administration and Manpower Silver plate 
			 24 January 2007 Woodroffe's Lunch/speech 
			 19 February 2007 Company of Fruiterers, The Masters, Wardens and Court of Assistants Livery banquet—guest 
		
	
	
		
			  General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland 
			  Date  Provider  Description 
			 8 May 2006 Lord Mayor of Belfast Civic dinner, City Hall Belfast 
			 9 May 2006 PUS (NIO) and Director of Policing and Security NI Reception, Hillsborough Castle 
			 15 May 2006 Secretary of State (NI) Garden Party, Hillsborough Castle 
			 7 June 2006 Stn Comd RAF Coningsby Plaque on occasion of GOC's visit 
			 9 August 2006 NICSS Regt BFPO official first day cover 
			 23 August 2006 25 Engr Regt Plaque made of South Armagh Tower 
			 9 September 2006 Order of Malta Victory Day lunch and mass, Armagh 
			 20 October 2006 North Irish Horse Dinner, Belfast 
			 4 November 2006 Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, Belfast 
			 11 November 2006 Queens University Services Club Dinner, Belfast 
			 23 November 2006 Presentation from unit under Command Hip flask and cup set 
			 24 November 2006 Forces Financial Champagne reception London 
			 11 December 2006 Secretary of State (NI) Christmas reception 
			 22 December 2006 Secretary of State (NI) Security forces Christmas reception, Hillsborough Castle 
			 20 February 2007 Thales Meeting and lunch, Castlereagh 
			 21 February 2007 Chief Constable International policing conference, City Hall 
		
	
	
		
			  Commander in Chief Land 
			  Date of hospitality  Provider  Description 
			 1 to 4 May 06 Allied Canadian Army StaffTalks Mounted rock statue on base 
			 23 to 24 May 06 Gen McNeil US Army US army silver plate 
			 22 June 2006 CGSNZ Book and ceramic bowl 
			 10 to 11 July 2006 Commander in Chief Germany Tank in case 
			 10 to 11 July 2006 Commander in Chief Germany Paperweight 
			 18 July 2006 Vice Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Plaque 
			 18 July 2006 Vice Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Cufflinks and tie pin 
			 13 September 2006 Lt Gen Shoke—CGS South African Army Plaque 
			 16 October 2006 Comd US Army Combined Arms Centre Four silver cups in case 
			 17 October 2006 CO US Army Welfare College Wooden pencil box 
			 17 October 2006 CO US Army Welfare College Book on Westpoint 
			 17 October 2006 CO US Army College of General Staff Book 'Block by Block' 
			 13 December 2006 BAE Systems Christmas drinks 
			 12 October 2006 COS US Army Bronze coin 
			 15 October 2006 Chief of Staff Army (US) US army book 
			 15 October 2006 Deputy Chief of Staff Army (US) Tankard 
			 15 October 2006 Chief of Staff US Army Serving bowl 
			 9 March 2007 BAE Systems Grand Military—lunch and hospitality 
			 29 to 30 January 2007 COMFAT Pewter ashtray

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total value is of private finance initiative projects included in his Department's balance sheet for  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Adam Ingram: The total capital value of each PFI project that is included in the MOD balance sheet is published in the Her Majesty's Treasury PFI Signed Projects List which can be found on the HMT website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total value is of the annual private finance initiative payments made by his Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: Details of the annual private finance initiative unitary charge payments are published in the Her Majesty's Treasury PFI Signed Projects List which can be found on the HMT website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The relevant columns are V - Z.
	All payments come from the revenue budget.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what value of the annual private finance initiative payments for his Department is  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Adam Ingram: All payments made under private finance initiative (PFI) are identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed, the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments is  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Sovereign Strategy

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Derek Twigg: There were no departmental meetings between Defence Ministers and Sovereign Strategy between 1997 and 2006, although the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) met Alan Donnelly, Executive Chairman of Sovereign Strategy, on a number of occasions as they have been personal friends for a number of years. Also Ivor Caplin, a previous Defence Minister, met Alan Davidson, an Assistant Director of Sovereign Strategy, in a private capacity on 25 November 2004.
	Specific data on the number of meetings between MOD officials and Sovereign Strategy are not held centrally within the Department and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen: Medical Treatments

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of medical treatment which have  (a) been delayed and  (b) not been received have been raised by veterans in the last five years.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held by the MOD or its Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA). Where a war pensioner raises priority treatment issues with MOD or SPVA, officials investigate and as appropriate take up cases with the relevant health authority.

HMS Albion

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons it is proposed to reduce HMS Albion to a state of extended readiness; and when he expects to announce a decision on the reduction.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 May 2007
	It is not MOD policy to publish details of the readiness states of individual Royal Navy vessels or types (we have made exceptions for the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible and those ships entering refit, as detailed in my letter of 6 March 2007); nor would we be prepared to divulge the readiness profile of the fleet as a whole, or comment on individual changes. Such information could enable deductions to be made about the condition and preparedness of units and of the Navy, and would therefore be prejudicial to the safety of individual units and to national security.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits he has made to servicemen and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan; and how many visits have been made by other Ministers.

Des Browne: holding answer 22 May 2007
	Since 2003, Defence Ministers have made a total of 48 visits to injured service personnel in hospitals in the UK and overseas. Those injured service personnel include servicemen and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The following table shows the number of visits made by each Minister.
	
		
			   Visits 
			 Secretary of State for Defence 19 
			 Minister for the Armed Forces 10 
			 Minister for Defence Equipment and Support 6 
			 Under Secretary of State 13 
		
	
	In addition, Ministers have also visited personnel in the UK once they have returned from operational duty. On some of these occasions Ministers will have met injured personnel and their families.

Navy: Vessels

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which naval vessels have been sold by the Royal Navy in the last five years; what the  (a) vessel type,  (b) service cost and  (c) destination country was in each case; and if he will estimate the (i) original costs of each vessel and (ii) financial gains accrued to public funds as a result of each sale.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 May 2007
	The information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Type  Country  Service cost  Original cost (£)  Sale price (£) 
			  2002-03  
			 HMS Beagle Bulldog Class Hydrographical Survey Ship (1)— (2)— (3)53 million 750,000 
			   
			 HMS London T22 Frigate Romania (2)— (4)156million 116 million 
			 HMS Coventry(4)147 million  
			   
			 HMS Shetland Island Class Offshore Patrol Vehicles Bangladesh (2)— (3)53 million each 8 million 
			 HMS Aldernay  
			 HMS Anglesey  
			 HMS Lindisfarne  
			 HMS Guernsey  
			   
			 HMS Sheffield Type 22 Frigate Chile (2)— (4)151 million 27 million 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 HMS Unseen Upholder Class Submarine Canada (5)— (5)— (6)— 
			 HMS Scylla Leader Class Frigate (7)— (5)— (5)—  
			   
			  2004-05  
			 RFA Sir Geraint Round Table Landing Ship Logistical (8)— (5)— (5)— 300,000 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 HMS Marlborough Type 23 Frigate Chile (2)— (4)120 million 134 million 
			 HMS Norfolk(4)142 million  
			 HMS Grafton(4)79 million  
			   
			  2006-07  
			 HMS Sandown Sandown Class Mine Hunter Estonia (2)— (3)53 million each 32 million 
			 HMS Inverness  
			 HMS Bridport  
			 (1) Records not kept beyond point of sale. (2) This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (3) Information concerning original cost is not held. Average cost has been estimated at 2007 prices and includes Government furnished equipment. (4) Original cost of vessels not held. Original build cost provided but does not include other costs such as Ministry supplied material and equipment. (5) No records held. (6) Leased to Canada in 1998, with an option to purchase, which was exercised in 2003. It is impossible to calculate exact value for this submarine as lease covered four submarines, remaining three still under lease. Total value of lease is Canadian $360 million for all four submarines. (7) Sunk as artificial reef. (8) Records not kept beyond point of sale—ultimately dismantled in Pakistan. 
		
	
	These figures are rounded and those in the "sale price" column reflect the total sales revenue.
	It is standard practice for sales of surplus warships to foreign Governments to include a package of modernisation and regeneration work provided by industry. It is not possible to provide figures relating to industry costs or the subsequent detailed financial returns to the UK defence budget and British taxpayer, without incurring disproportionate costs. Moreover, any such figures would be commercially sensitive, and could not be released.
	In many cases the only alternative to a sale of these surplus warships would have been recycling, potentially at a cost to the British taxpayer. The benefits of these sales extend beyond the capital return, as they provide a defence diplomacy impact and enhance British industrial participation. It is not possible to quantify these benefits; however, in each case, the sale represented the best available outcome.

Snow Queen Exercise

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the last exercise Snow Queen was; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Exercise "Snow Queen" used to be run in Germany with the objective of introducing soldiers to skiing. This exercise was discontinued over ten years ago and details of the costs incurred on the last occasion that it took place have not been retained. An adventurous training activity weekend undertaken by the wives and other female members based in Suffield, Canada in March this year, also titled "Exercise Snow Queen", was funded through the British Army Unit Suffield Wives' Club. All costs incurred by the Army were recovered from the participants.

Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the commitment to maintaining and deploying an eight-boat attack submarine fleet in the 2004 supplement to the 2003 Defence White Paper remains in place.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 May 2007
	As set out in the 2004 "Future Capabilities" supplement to the 2003 White Paper, by late 2008 our attack submarine fleet will consist of eight boats. Thereafter, the existing Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines will be progressively replaced by the new and more capable Astute class.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Teenage Boys: Literacy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken to encourage teenage boys to read.

Jim Knight: Reading for pleasure is essential to improving children's chances of success.
	The Boys into Books initiative I launched last week allows every state-funded secondary school with boys on roll to select 20 free books. The Reading Champions initiative provides a range of ideas and resources to encourage boys to read more by using the motivational power of reading role models.
	Both initiatives support our wider programme to promote literacy, including the planned National Year of Reading in 2008.

Mandarin

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage the teaching of Mandarin at GCSE level.

Jim Knight: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have recently consulted on which languages schools should teach to 11 to 14-year-olds. We expect them to advise that schools should be free to teach any major languages they choose from 2008. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust provide support to over 80 schools already teaching Mandarin. We expect this number to rise when the new secondary curriculum is introduced.

Young Adults: Learning Difficulties

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on his Department's provision of resources for post-19 education for young adults with severe learning difficulties.

Phil Hope: For young people studying higher education courses there is comprehensive student support available. Disabled students' allowances (DSAs) help meet the additional costs arising from a disability, mental health condition or learning disability. Under the Learning and Skills Act 2000 we have a commitment to provide suitable facilities for learners in further education aged 19 onwards. In 2004-05 the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) provided almost £1.5 billion to support 640,000 post-16 learners of all ages with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

City Academies

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many academy schools are planned to be opened in the next 12 months.

Jim Knight: There are 47 academies already open. In September this year we plan to open another 36 academies, with up to a further 50 projected to open in September 2008.

Basic Skills Training

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he has had discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions on co-ordinating basic skills training for the unemployed and other benefit claimants who would like to work.

Phil Hope: In March 2006 DfES and DWP Ministers agreed an approach for transferring responsibility for the planning and funding of basic skills training to the Learning and Skills Council as recommended by the National Employment Panel with the aim of improving quality and co-ordination of learning opportunities.
	We are working across Government to develop a new programme for Basic Skills and Employability which will provide opportunities to improve their skills and move into sustainable employment

Further Education Funding

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on extending further education funding to support 17 to 19-year-olds.

Phil Hope: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply previously given today to my hon. Friend the Member for East Lothian (Anne Moffat).

Grammar Schools

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on the future of grammar schools.

Jim Knight: We have not discussed the future of grammar schools with local authorities recently but our position remains unchanged: we are not in favour of academic selection and do not wish to see it extended.

Child Care

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to ensure that there is sufficient quality child care available in local areas.

Beverley Hughes: From next April, every local authority will have a duty to secure sufficient child care for working parents in their area. They will be supported in doing so by the £3 billion the Government have made available between 2006 and 2008 to support the child care market and to develop 2,500 children's centres; and the further £3 billion invested each year in free early education for every three and four-year-old.

Adoption

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2007,  Official Report, column 662W, on adoption, what intensive targeted work has been carried out by his Department with local authorities to improve placement stability for children in care; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this work.

Beverley Hughes: Too often, children who stay in care long-term are affected by numerous changes of carer, which impacts on their security and wellbeing, their ability to make and maintain friendships, and their schooling, which is often disrupted as a result. The Department appointed a small team of independent consultants—all former senior managers in social services—to work with 34 local authorities who had a significant contribution to make to the department's PSA target on improving stability for children in long-term care. Each local authority received five days' free consultancy to help them develop their own action plans to improve stability. Each authority is also being encouraged to share their learning with others in the same region, and materials are being developed to facilitate this. Telephone consultancy was also offered to 50 more local authorities, if they wished to accept it. The work ended in March this year, and it is therefore too soon to identify the impact it has had on performance.

Children: Armed Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to improve the transfer of the  (a) records and  (b) special needs statements of service children with high mobility; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Under The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005, when any pupil moves from one school to another the 'old' school must transfer the pupil's common transfer file and education record within 15 school days of the child ceasing to be registered at the school. Where a pupil has special educational needs (SEN) the common transfer file will include the type of special educational provision that is being made.
	For children with SEN statements who move between local authority areas there is a statutory process, set out in the SEN Code of Practice, for the old authority to transfer the statement to the new authority. The new authority must tell the parents within six weeks of the date of transfer when they will review the statement and whether they propose to reassess the child. Until such time as the new authority amends the statement they are under a duty to arrange the special educational provision set out on the statement.
	A new forum, the Service Children's Education Forum, has been established, with representatives from this Department, the devolved administrations and the Ministry of Defence, to examine difficulties faced by Service children as they move in, or between, the different education authorities of the UK and between the UK and overseas. The forum is exploring a number of strands of work including those of mobility and continuity of SEN support. A Mitigating Mobility project led by the Service Children's Education Agency is producing best practice guidance and the Service Children in State Schools Forum—an advisory group of schools in England with a high proportion of Service children—is contributing to this (and associated) work.

Education Maintenance Allowance

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in Easington constituency received  (a) £30,  (b) £20 and  (c) £10 in education maintenance allowance in each of the last three years.

Bill Rammell: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the DfES and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 15 May 2007:
	I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question that asked:
	"How many young people in Easington constituency have received  (a) £30,  (b) £20 and  (c) £10 in educational maintenance allowance in each of the last three years."
	Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received education maintenance allowance (EMA) is available at local authority level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
	The following table shows EMA take-up data split by payment band for Durham local authority area during each academic year since the scheme's inception.
	
		
			  Take-up of EMA in each academic year 
			   Durham LA 
			   £30  £20  £10  Total 
			 2004/05 1,838 271 336 2,445 
			 2005/06 3,438 472 458 4,368 
			 2006/07 4,641 574 554 5,769 
		
	
	I hope this information is useful and addresses your question.

Employment Schemes

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many starts on the Entry 2 Employment programme were contracted between the Learning and Skills Council and providers in each county in England for each of the last four years; how many starts there were in each county in each year; and what the percentage difference is between the two figures in each case;
	(2)  when he will reply to Question 131647, on the Entry 2 Employment programme, tabled by the hon. Member for Cheltenham on 29 March 2007.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 April 2007
	Data on Entry2Employment programme participants are collected on the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). The Entry2Employment programme was introduced in the work-based learning ILR collection for the first time in 2002/03 and figures are presented from that time.
	The following table shows the number of starts on the Entry2Employment programme in each local Learning and Skills Council area—these data are not currently available by county.
	We are unable to provide figures on the number of starts contracted between LSC and providers, and the difference between the number of actual and contracted starts, because data on contracted starts are not collected. Contracts are for places rather than starts; a provider may be contracted to fill 30 places but these 30 places may be filled by 70 or more young people during the year.
	
		
			  Volume of E2E starts by local LSC area 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Derbyshire 1,510 1,110 1,610 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,580 830 920 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland 680 530 470 
			 Leicestershire 720 520 800 
			 Northamptonshire 870 620 680 
			 Norfolk 950 550 700 
			 Cambridgeshire 550 520 580 
			 Suffolk 610 460 570 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 530 510 540 
			 Hertfordshire 800 640 710 
			 Essex 1,730 1,300 1,550 
			 London - North 850 820 740 
			 London - West 780 640 650 
			 London - Central 2,340 1,950 1,910 
			 London - East 1,820 1,690 1,760 
			 London - South 1,370 1,000 1,010 
			 Northumberland 420 470 420 
			 Tyne and Wear 2,410 2,260 1,840 
			 County Durham 880 770 780 
			 Tees Valley 1,360 1,390 1,300 
			 Cumbria 860 660 720 
			 Lancashire 2,100 1,940 1,840 
			 Greater Merseyside 3,980 3,300 3,090 
			 Greater Manchester 3,540 3,300 3,290 
			 Cheshire and Warrington 580 520 520 
			 Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire 1,040 890 910 
			 Berkshire 320 350 350 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1,500 1,560 1,560 
			 Surrey 270 330 320 
			 Sussex 650 920 550 
			 Kent and Medway 1,210 1,210 1,320 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,600 1,020 1,170 
			 Somerset 450 340 290 
			 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole 600 530 540 
			 West of England 980 1,050 960 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon 380 380 310 
			 Gloucestershire 1,050 740 590 
			 Shropshire 910 670 550 
			 Staffordshire 1,510 1,520 1,240 
			 The Black Country 1,960 1,680 1,240 
			 Birmingham and Solihull 1,880 1,880 1,770 
			 Herefordshire and Worcestershire 610 540 550 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 1,340 930 880 
			 North Yorkshire 440 320 260 
			 West Yorkshire 3,720 2,780 2,700 
			 South Yorkshire 2,070 1,700 1,610 
			 Humberside 1,390 1,230 1,380 
			 England 59,680 50,830 50,030 
			  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Individualised Learner Record

Further Education

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 to 18-year-olds were in  (a) full-time education and  (b) work-based learning in each year between 1997 and 2006 in each local education authority.

Bill Rammell: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

GCSEs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics, but excluding both  (a) equivalents and  (b) applied double GCSE awards, in 2006.

Jim Knight: holding answer 22 January 2007
	Revised 2006 figures show that 42.6 per cent. of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools achieved five or more A*-C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE only. 43.4 per cent. of pupils in maintained schools achieved five or more A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalent, including English and mathematics excluding applied double GCSE awards.

Nurseries: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the Minister responsible for the 2006 code of conduct for nurseries will visit Kettering constituency to discuss its impact on local nursery provision.

Beverley Hughes: My colleagues and I regularly meet representatives of a range of national and local stakeholders with an interest in the free early education entitlement and other childcare issues.
	The current code of practice was introduced in April 2006, following a full consultation with interested parties and sets out key principles by which local authorities plan the delivery of the free entitlement in their area in accordance with local circumstances and market dynamics.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has given to local education authorities on the topslicing of the nursery education grant to nursery providers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what evidence his Department has considered on the percentage value of the nursery education grant which local education authorities are passing to providers; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: We do not provide guidance to local authorities on 'topslicing' nursery education funding. Funding for the free entitlement to early education for three and four-year-olds is provided to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant (DSG), alongside funding for all pre-16 learning. Local authorities—in consultation with their school forums—are responsible for deciding how best to apply their total school and early years funding across all age groups and between different types of provider, based on an assessment of local circumstances.
	The Schools, Early Years and 14-16 Funding consultation which ends on 1 June sets out a number of proposals for changes to the way the early years funding system operates. As part of our consideration of these options and to assess their impact, the Department is developing a more comprehensive evidence base of current practice around the country. We asked all authorities to complete a questionnaire, by 18 May 2007, setting out how they allocate and distribute free entitlement funding to maintained schools and to private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers. We are also working with authorities to produce estimates of the level of funding allocated to early years in each local authority and its distribution between the PVI and maintained sectors in 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	We intend to collate and publish both the questionnaire responses and the levels of funding in each local authority so that authorities can benchmark their approaches to funding the free entitlement.

Schools: Health

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the PA Consulting review of the Healthy Schools programme;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the  (a) number and  (b) percentage of schools which are participating in the National Healthy Schools programme; what proportion of them have achieved National Healthy School status; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The PA Consulting review of the National Healthy Schools programme was a short exercise conducted for internal purposes, and to help steer our planned three-year research into the impact of the programme on promoting healthier lifestyle in schools. We do plan to place a copy of the review in the House of Commons Library in the coming month.
	From September 2005, we had incorporated a more rigorous approach to the National Healthy Schools programme. Schools will have to meet criteria in all four core themes to satisfy the requirements of National Healthy Schools Status.
	As at 21 May 2007, 20,256 (88.8 per cent.) schools are participating in the programme with 7,307 (32.3 per cent.) schools having achieved National Healthy schools status.

Science: Higher Education

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils from the maintained sector applied to study  (a) physics,  (b) chemistry,  (c) biochemistry,  (d) psychology and  (e) sports sciences at (i) a Russell Group university and (ii) other universities in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The available information is shown in the table. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to Higher Education Institutions.
	
		
			  Applications from( 1)  UK domiciled pupils at maintained( 2)  sector Institutions to Russell Group and non-Russell Group( 3)  Institutions in the UK by subject of study year of entry 2002 to 2006 
			   Year of Entry 
			  Applications for :  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Physics  
			 at Russell Group Institutions 7,096 7,069 6,439 7,028 7,664 
			 Non-Russell Group Institutions(3) 5,746 5,929 5,024 5,765 5,681 
			 Total 72,842 72,998 11,463 72,793 73,345 
			   
			  Chemistry  
			 at Russell Group Institutions 5,621 5,641 5,762 7,149 7,813 
			 Non-Russell Group Institutions(3) 7,302 6,898 7,361 7,153 7,353 
			 Total 72,923 72,539 73,723 74,302 75,766 
			   
			  Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry( 4)  
			 at Russell Group Institutions 4,823 4,711 4,465 4,658 4,109 
			 Non-Russell Group Institutions(3) 3,758 3,810 3,987 4,197 4,039 
			 Total 8,587 8,527 8,452 8,855 8,748 
			   
			  Psychology  
			 at Russell Group Institutions 15,392 16,641 15,535 15,540 14,937 
			 Non-Russell Group Institutions(3) 39,898 45,181 44,170 49,562 48,490 
			 Total 55,290 67,822 59,705 65,702 63,427 
			   
			  Sports Science  
			 at Russell Group Institutions 843 1,441 1,404 1,497 1,434 
			 Non-Russell Group Institutions(3) 29,795 32,367 32,542 36,174 39,626 
			 Total 30,638 33,808 33,946 37,677 47,060 
			 (1) Applicants to UCAS can submit up to six applications, in this table students have been counted once for each application they submit. (2) Maintained sector institutions are Comprehensive Schools, Further/Higher Education Institutions, Grammar Schools, Sixth Form Centres, Sixth Form Colleges, Other Maintained Institutions and Other Institutions. (3) Includes all other HE and FE institutions covered by the UCAS application system, other than Russell-Group institutions. (4) Subject figures for Biochemistry can only be displayed as the overall group Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry.  Source:  Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

Train to Gain Programme: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many businesses in Copeland have accessed the Train to Gain service since its launch.

Phil Hope: Train to Gain is an ongoing service and as such performance is updated on a regular basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC); Mark Haysom as the LSC chief executive has written directly to my hon. Friend. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 15 May 2007
	I am writing in response to your recent parliamentary question about how many businesses in Copeland have accessed the Train to Gain service since its launch.
	There have been 25 businesses that have accessed the Skills Brokerage Service in and around Copeland. These contacts are sorted by postcode and the 25 is made up of
	CA12 = 7
	CA13 = 5
	CA14 = 10
	CA28 = 3
	I hope this response is helpful to you.

Unemployment: Young People

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds were not in education, employment and training in each year since the establishment of the Connexions service.

Bill Rammell: The following table gives the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England in each year since the Connexions service was established in 2001 where figures are available.
	
		
			  Proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) 
			  End of calendar year  Percentage 
			 2001 10 
			 2002 10 
			 2003 10 
			 2004 10 
			 2005 (provisional) 11

Unemployment: Young People

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in London are not in education, employment or training; what steps are being taken to reduce this number; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	There were 1,076,350 people of working age who were not in employment, education or training in the London Government office region in October to December 2006. The total number of people on out of work benefits in London has fallen by 106,300 since 1997.
	Some of these people will have chosen not to be in employment or education. However, for the rest, we have a range of policies on employment and education to provide them with opportunities.
	To help us achieve our aim of reaching an 80 per cent. employment rate, we have set ourselves the aspiration of a million fewer people on incapacity benefits in a decade. The Welfare Reform Bill enabling us to achieve this has just passed through Parliament.
	We will be rolling out our successful Pathways to Work across the capital in 2008, and will also shortly begin testing our new City Strategy which will focus on those areas where benefit receipt, social exclusion and poverty are most concentrated. Two of the pathfinder areas for the strategy are in London.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Electricity

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects the UK is involved in to develop the electricity supply in Africa; and what studies he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on carbon emissions from increasing electricity use in Africa.

Hilary Benn: At the Gleneagles summit in 2005, the UK secured G8 agreement that the World Bank should lead on establishing a new clean energy investment framework (CEIF), which would operate as part of the international financing system. The aim of this framework is to increase public and private sector investment in cleaner energy in developing countries.
	The World Bank's action plan for the CEIF has three main parts, one of which is to increase energy access in Africa. This includes giving greater attention to Africa's need for increased electricity generation, transmission and household electrification.
	The World Bank is starting discussions with some African governments about how the action plan can be implemented, aimed at improving access by households to modern energy services.
	The UK has committed over £15 million to the CEIF so far, including £3 million for technical support in developing the CEIF and supporting discussions in developing countries. We will consider with the World Bank what additional support may be needed in particular countries.
	Africa's energy-related carbon emissions are very small compared to industrialised regions and likely to remain so in the foreseeable future. We have not commissioned or evaluated the carbon emissions from increasing electricity use in Africa, although some data and predictions are compiled by the International Energy Agency.

Africa: Teachers and Doctors

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average cost is of training  (a) local and  (b) UK-based (i) teachers and (ii) doctors to work in developing African countries.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 23 May 2007
	The average costs for training doctors and teachers in Africa are not collected by the main international databases (e.g. UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring report) due to the difficulty in tracking the wide variety of different training programmes and initiatives across Africa as well as poor data quality.
	However, the World Health Organization estimated in 2006 that globally, health budgets will have to increase by at least US$10 per person per year by 2025, to educate and pay the salaries of the four million health workers needed in the 57 countries with severe shortages. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
	According to the UK Department for Health, the cost of training a doctor to full registration including the first year of working in the NHS is between £200,000 and £250,000. This does not include costs of postgraduate training as this is far highly variable and it is difficult to arrive at a meaningful average.
	According to the UK Department for Education and Skills—Training and Development Agency (TDA) the cost of training a teacher in the UK can range from £4,500 to £19,000 with an average cost of approximately £12,000. It should be noted that this average uses the total funds paid by the TDA for an academic year and the total number of registered teachers. The figure is therefore only indicative as there are numerous different routes into teaching within the UK.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid was allocated to Burma in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07, broken down by main budget heading; and what conditions were attached to such aid.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005-06 DFID aid to Burma was £6.4 million, of which:
	£4.5 million was on HIV/AIDS, Communicable Diseases and Basic Health Care;
	£0.6 million was for Food Security and Rural Livelihoods;
	£1.0 million was for Internally Displaced People and Refugees;
	£60,000 was for Democracy and Human Rights.
	2006-07 official figures are not yet available. The budget for DFID aid to Burma was £8.0 million, of which:
	£4.3 million was on HIV/AIDS, Communicable Diseases and Basic Health Care;
	£1.2 million was for Food Security and Rural Livelihoods;
	£1.1 million was for Internally Displaced People and Refugees;
	£1.4 million was on Education;
	£70,000 was for Democracy and Human Rights.
	DFID has recently approved a programme of £3 million over three years specifically to support work on democratic change at the local level. The programme will start during 2007-08.
	The conditions which European Union member states have agreed to apply to their aid is defined by the European Union Common Position, Article 3, which states that:
	"Non-humanitarian aid or development programmes shall be suspended. Exceptions shall be made for projects and programmes in support of:
	(a) human rights, democracy, good governance, conflict prevention and building the capacity of civil society;
	(b) health and education, poverty alleviation and in particular the provision of basic needs and livelihoods for the poorest and most vulnerable populations;
	(c) environmental protection and, in particular, programmes addressing the problem of non-sustainable, excessive logging resulting in deforestation.
	The projects and programmes should be implemented through UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, and through decentralised cooperation with local civilian administrations. In this context, the European Union will continue to engage with the government of Burma over its responsibility to make greater efforts to attain the UN millennium development goals.
	Projects and programmes should, as far as possible, be defined, monitored, run and evaluated in consultation with civil society and all democratic groups, including the National League for Democracy."

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Overseas Aid

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government gave directly to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in each of the last 10 years.

Hilary Benn: The Government provided debt relief to the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) every year between 1996-97 and 2005-06, as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Debt relief from the British Government to the Government of the DRC 
			   £ 
			 1996-97 1,106,000 
			 1997-98 1,089,000 
			 1998-99 994,000 
			 1999-2000 810,000 
			 2000-01 3,656,000 
			 2001-02 4,704,000 
			 2002-03 2,715,000 
			 2003-04 131,550,976 
			 2004-05 7,377,490 
			 2005-06 390,866 
		
	
	In the financial years 2004-05 and 2005-06, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided financial aid of £500,000 per year to the DRC Ministry of Plan for the preparation of the Government of the DRC's poverty reduction strategy. In 2006-07, DFID committed £324,225 of financial aid to the DRC Ministry of Plan to enable it to carry out a demographic and health survey.
	This aid provided by DFID directly to the Government of the DRC represents a very small fraction of DFID's total bilateral aid to the DRC, which totalled £29.2 million in 2004-05 and £58.8 million in 2005-06.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Tree Felling

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in  (a) Portugal,  (b) Germany and  (c) Belgium on logging concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo held by companies with headquarters based in those countries.

Hilary Benn: I have not held specific discussions with my counterparts in Portugal, Germany and Belgium on logging concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) held by companies with headquarters in those countries. However, DFID is working closely with international partners—including Germany and Belgium—to promote sustainable forest use and reduce deforestation in countries like the DRC.
	The German Government have put the reduction of deforestation, to curb carbon emissions, conserve biodiversity, and promote sustainable forest management, on the agenda for the forthcoming G8 summit. The UK strongly supports this initiative and will play a constructive role in agreeing outcomes at the summit. Earlier this year, the Belgian Government, in collaboration with the UK and other partners, hosted an international conference on the sustainable management of forests in the DRC. At this conference, the UK announced a $500,000 contribution to a Multi-Donor Trust Fund to improve forest governance and help promote sustainable forest management in the DRC.
	The UK supports the maintenance of the moratorium on the allocation of new logging concessions in the DRC and the review that is currently being carried out of the legality of existing concessions. When I met the President of the DRC, Joseph Kabila, in Kinshasa in April 2007, I stressed the importance of forests as a resource for the people of the DRC. I asked whether logging concessions found to be illegal by the Legal Review would be revoked, and President Kabila confirmed that they would.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Gareth Thomas: A copy of the document entitled "Current Contracts as at May 2007", which gives details of the agencies and consultants and the current values of contracts issued by the Department for International Development (DFID), has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Details of contracts awarded are published on the DFID website. The contract titles on the report reflect the type of activity carried out. The report does not include low value contracts issued by DFID's overseas offices, of which there are no consolidated central records. To produce a list of these contracts would incur disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of developing water and sanitation projects in developing countries through the privatisation of those systems.

Hilary Benn: DFID has funded a number of studies into how private sector participation might support poor people and help them access basic services, all of which draw on extensive external research. These include the study by WELL, the network of resource centres at Loughborough university, into private sector participation and its impact in improving affordable access to water and sanitation for the poor in developing countries.
	The track record of the private sector in delivering water in developing countries has been mixed—and it is important that lessons are learnt along the way. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the failure of private sector water provision led to rioting and the cancellation of the contract with the private provider. In Mozambique, on the other hand, reforms which began in 1994 have ushered in a new era with the introduction of private sector management, cost recovery tariffs and better regulation. A new public-private partnership, whereby assets remain state owned but operations are privately managed, has helped about 70 per cent. of the urban population of Mozambique benefit from better water supply and improved sanitation.
	In Senegal, private sector involvement since 1995 has helped about 1.6 million people living in Dakar and secondary cities to gain access to safe water. An innovative public-private partnership has helped make over 140,000 new connections for poor families at subsidized rates, and household water connections reached 76 per cent. of the population by 2006. Senegal's level of connection to urban water services is now the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Sanitation also improved in urban areas, with 830,000 people getting access to sewerage connections or new toilets and latrines. Our conclusion is to support what works—and what works varies from country to country and region to region.
	Through our support of the multi-donor Public Private Initiative Advisory Facility (PPIAF), we helped fund the publication of "Improving Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Utilities in Developing Countries: Drawing the Lessons of the Last Decade of Private Sector Participation and Expanding its Scope". This draws on lessons from a decade of water projects with private participation. It consolidates the wealth of material available into a comprehensive paper, and provides a basis for building consensus with stakeholders.
	However, we agree with the conclusions of the United Nations' recent Human Development Report that the criterion for assessing policy should not be whether it is public or private but what its effect is on the poor. These studies are vitally important, but a blanket approach applied to all assessments does not work because circumstances vary greatly from region to region and country to country and we have to respond to the specifics of each request.
	The public sector continues to play the leading role in providing water and sanitation throughout the world. Most of DFID's aid—about 95 per cent. of our bilateral country programme expenditure on water and sanitation—supports the delivery of water and sanitation through governments, and not-for-profit or humanitarian agencies.
	Our bilateral support for international private sector participation in the water and sanitation sector has been limited, often focused on helping developing country governments improve regulation for the benefit of poor people. One example where we were asked to help was in Ghana, where we supported a national assessment to examine the regulation of the sector and make recommendations about how services can work better for poor people.

EC Aid

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the effectiveness of money spent through the European Communities Development Programme is  (a) monitored and  (b) audited; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The EC development programme includes funding through the European Development Fund, the Development Co-operation Instrument and the European Neighbourhood Instrument. The effectiveness of the development programme is assessed at many levels.
	There are four main opportunities to monitor and/or audit the funds:
	(a) Management Committees—Management Committees exist for all of the main development instruments. They provide member states with oversight and approval of major spending decisions, including country strategy papers and associated annual action plans. Evaluation reports, including on the mid-term and end of term reviews of country programmes, are presented to member states at these committees for discussion and approval. These documents are also shared with the European Parliament.
	(b) Results orientated monitoring—the Commission has developed a results orientated monitoring (ROM) process. This system is based on regular onsite assessments by independent experts of ongoing projects and programmes. The projects/ programmes evaluated are assessed against criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability.
	(c) Annual report on the European Community's Development Policy and Implementation of External Assistance—this is published by the Commission in the summer of each year. It includes the results of the ROM process as well as detail on the breakdown of financial assistance by sector, region and type of aid (for example, project or budgetary support). It also provides information on commitment and disbursement levels. The annual report is presented to EU member states and the European Parliament for discussion and adoption.
	(d) Annual auditing of EU Budget—The EU's annual accounts and resource management are overseen by its external auditor, the European Court of Auditors. The Court of Auditors prepares an annual report for the Council and the European Parliament. The court's main task is to conduct an external, independent audit of the European Communities' annual accounts, including those of the development co-operation programme. Finally, the Court prepares 'special reports' which provide the findings of audits covering specific areas of EC work, such as that on the Environment in Development Co-operation in 2006.

World Bank

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the UK Government will nominate a candidate for the World Bank Presidency; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Government will work with other member countries of the World Bank to identify and select the best candidate for the job.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animals: Imports

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether ruminants arrived in Dover by ferry from Calais on 5 May 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: Animal Health have found no record of ruminant animals being imported from Calais via Dover on 5 May 2007.

Cattle: Exports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent meetings he has held with  (a) animal welfare organisations and  (b) the agricultural industry on the export of live young calves.

Ben Bradshaw: So far this year, I have met representatives of both Compassion in World Farming and Kent Action Against Live Exports. My officials continue to communicate with welfare and industry bodies through meetings, correspondence and telephone calls on a regular basis.

Cattle: Exports

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the conditions experienced by live young calves which are exported; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the research recently commissioned by DEFRA on the conditions experienced by live calves (and other animals) during transport.
	
		
			  Research  Timescale 
			 Long distance road transport of farm animals 1 April 1997 to 1 March 2002 
			 Study to investigate the space above the head and shoulders of pigs and cattle when standing during transport 1 May to 1 October 2003 
			 To understand and alleviate physiological stress during transportation of livestock (this project is specific to calves) 1 April 1997 to 1 March 2002 
			 Development of telemetry systems for the remote monitoring of physiological signals in livestock 1 October 1999 to 1 September 2002 
			 Road transport of farm animals in hot climates 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2005 
			 Human factors affecting the welfare of animals during transport 1 April 2002 to 31 August 2005 
			 Effect of driver behaviour on the behaviour of cattle and pigs in transit 1 April 2005 to 30 May 2007 
			 Animal welfare in livestock trailers and optimisation of ventilation 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2007 
		
	
	DEFRA continually reviews and appraises its research programme. Evaluation takes place before, during and at the end of each research project. In addition, a review of research and development programmes is undertaken every five years with interested parties, including welfare groups, industry and consumer groups. A review of the Animal Welfare at Transport and Markets programme was held at the end of 2006. The output from this review will be made available on the DEFRA website soon. Our research findings help to provide a sound scientific basis on which to formulate our policy on the transport of live animals.

Climate Change: Electricity Generation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contribution United Kingdom officials or scientists made to the ad hoc working group on Mitigation potentials of policies, measures and technologies of the Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change, held in Bonn on 15 to 18 May; and whether any specific electricity generation technology was promoted by the United Kingdom.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 May 2007
	 UK officials played an active part in the European Union's (EU) preparations for the Bonn United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ad-hoc Working Group meeting. During the meeting, the EU presented information on the mitigation potential of the EU as a whole and not as individual member states. In the preparations, the UK did not promote any specific electricity generation technology. The EU's submissions and presentations can be found on the UNFCCC website at:
	www.unfccc.int.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he is making in involving  (a) G8 countries,  (b) EU countries and  (c) other major developing countries in talks on tackling the effects of climate change.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 18 May 2007
	We are making progress, but there is still a long way to go. The spring European Council showed significant developments at the European level and real leadership by the EU. The EU committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2020 as part of an international agreement and agreed an independent commitment to cut emissions by at least 20 per cent.
	In the G8, we are continuing to work with the German presidency to achieve our climate change objectives, which we began to set out at Gleneagles in 2005. We are aiming for the Heiligendamm summit in June to send a clear signal to the UN climate change conference in Bali in December on the need to launch negotiations on a global and comprehensive post-2012 agreement, to be completed by 2009.
	In parallel, we are working, both bilaterally and through the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC), to engage countries in order to raise the level of global ambition to respond to the threat of global warming, as set out in the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change. For example, we are working with South Africa to explore what a post-2012 agreement could look like.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what joint projects his Department is involved with its Chinese counterpart in the area of climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

Ian Pearson: A key international objective for the UK is to ensure that Chinese engagement helps enhance efforts towards making the transition to a sustainable low carbon economy globally as well as shaping an effective international regime to tackle climate change.
	In order to do this we are engaged with China through a number of channels including:
	(i) The sustainable development dialogue(SDD). Examples of joint working, include a workshop on sustainable consumption and production, establishment of a joint working group on sustainable forestry, discussions with the Chinese Ministry of Construction on sustainable urban development and a project at provincial level to share the UK's experience on waste management and resource efficiency.
	(ii) The UK-China working group on climate change. This is helping by feeding into discussions and activities under the Gleneagles Dialogue, the EU-China Partnership on climate change and the United Nations framework convention on climate change.
	(iii) The near-zero emissions coal (nZEC) project which aims to demonstrate coal fired power generation with carbon dioxide capture and storage technology in China by 2020.
	(iv) The UK is working with China on a bilateral project on climate change impacts. It has already gone some way towards revealing the effect of climate change on Chinese agriculture;
	(v) The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), a multi-country initiative that covers China, India, the whole G7, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. REEEP delivers projects on the ground that demonstrate the potential for reform of energy policy and financing frameworks in a sustainable way.

Construction: Sustainable Development

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry,  (b) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and  (c) the Director of the Office of Government Commerce on sustainable procurement in the building construction sector.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and DEFRA Ministers have held discussions with many colleagues from other Departments, including DTI, CLG and OGC, on topics such as sustainable procurement in the building construction sector, as part of the wider discussions on combating climate change.

Desalination

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many water desalination plants are  (a) in operation, (b) under construction and  (c) planned in England; and what the (i) location and (ii) company involved is in each case.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1959W. Thames Water's appeal against refusal of planning permission for a proposed desalination plant in the Thames estuary was the subject of a public inquiry in 2006 and the decision on the appeal is currently before the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. After piloting a desalination plant, South East Water has decided not to pursue desalination yet as a solution for delivering extra water at peak times.

Drinking Water Inspectorate: Prosecutions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many prosecutions brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate resulted in  (a) convictions and  (b) custodial sentences in each year since 1995;
	(2)  how many  (a) prosecutions,  (b) cautions and  (c) enforcement notices were brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (i) in total and (ii) in each region in each year since 1995.

Ian Pearson: Prosecutions are initiated against a company, not an individual. Convictions arise when a company is found guilty of the criminal offence of supplying water unfit for human consumption.
	The following table shows the number of prosecutions and cautions of water companies brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) between 1995 and 2006. The sum total is 38 prosecutions and 23 cautions of companies supplying water in England and Wales.
	
		
			   Prosecutions  Cautions 
			 1995 2 1 
			 1996 1 0 
			 1997 4 0 
			 1998 9 2 
			 1999 9 8 
			 2000 5 3 
			 2001 3 2 
			 2002 1 2 
			 2003 0 2 
			 2004 1 1 
			 2005 0 2 
			 2006 3 0 
		
	
	The legal enforcement process is initiated by the DWI with the issue of a "minded to enforce" notice to which the water company responds. The response often involves the provision of a legally binding undertaking to carry out work to remedy the matter, thereby staying the requirement for an enforcement order to be issued.
	Since 1995, this process has been used on over 3,000 occasions. Details of the companies involved are provided in the Chief Inspector's annual Drinking Water reports.

Drinking Water: Chemicals

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much was spent on removing  (a) pesticides and  (b) nitrates from drinking water supplies in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of removing  (a) pesticides and  (b) nitrates from drinking water supplies in each year since 2000.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Companies report to Ofwat each year in their June return on their expenditure in various categories.
	Over the five years to 2005-06, companies reported additional capital expenditure of £49 million on reducing pesticides levels and £75 million on reducing nitrate levels in the public water supply (in 2005-06 prices inflated using the retail price index). This is shown for each year since 2000 in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Pesticides  Nitrates 
			 2001-02 8 6 
			 2002-03 6 13 
			 2003-04 3 17 
			 2004-05 1 4 
			 2005-06 31 35 
		
	
	This is the additional capital expenditure on new assets. As part of their base expenditure, companies also maintain the assets installed previously to reduce pesticides and nitrates levels, and also incur the costs of operating these water treatment plants. Ofwat does not collect this information separately.
	Ofwat publishes a summary of its assumptions when setting price limits for each investment period. For 2000-05, the assumed need for capital investment to address exceptional problems of deteriorating raw water quality, the majority of which was for reducing pesticides and nitrate level, was £200 million (in 2005-06 prices, inflated using the construction outputs price index). There were changes agreed to this programme with the Drinking Water Inspectorate during the investment period to reflect changes in the risks of failure to meet drinking water standards.
	For 2005-10, Ofwat assumed additional capital expenditure for reducing pesticides levels of £86 million and nitrate levels of £340 million (2005-06 prices, inflated using the construction outputs price index) along with associated operating costs of £8 million each year. These are the additional costs of new treatment or blending plant. The maintenance and operating costs of existing treatment plant are included in the base service provided by the water companies.

EC Environmental Policy

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which European Environmental Directives have been  (a) agreed and  (b) published since 1 January 2006; and what the date or planned date of transposition is of each.

Ian Pearson: Between 1 January 2006 and 30 April 2007, 10 European Union (EU) directives for which my Department has responsibility for implementation were adopted. These are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Directive number  Directive name  Date UK transposition completed/or expected to be completed 
			 2006/007/EC Bathing water quality March 2008 
			 2006/011/EC Pollution caused by dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment of the community (codified version) n/a 
			 2006/012/EC Waste (codified version) n/a 
			 2006/032/EC Energy end-use efficiency and energy services May 2008 
			 2006/044/EC Quality of Fresh Waters Needing Protection or Improvement In Order to Support Fish Life (codified version) n/a 
			 2006/113/EC Quality required of shellfish waters (codified version) n/a 
			 2006/118/EC On the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration January 2009 
			 2006/122/EC Relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (perfluorooctane sulfonates) December 2007 
			 2006/139/EC Restrictions on the marketing and use of arsenic compounds June 2007 
			 2007/002/EC Establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) May 2009 
		
	
	I am placing in the Library of the House a list which itemises the directives adopted together with:
	 (a) the EU deadline for transposition into domestic legislation.
	 (b) where, appropriate, the final or expected United Kingdom transposition date.
	Details of all Directives in force can be found on the Eur-Lex database available on the EU's website.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the extent of the reduction in  (a) UK and  (b) EU emissions which will result from the first phase of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme.

Ian Pearson: The approved UK National Allocation Plan (NAP) for Phase I (2005-07) of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is set to deliver carbon dioxide emissions savings of around 65 million tonnes (roughly 8 per cent.) below the projected business-as-usual emissions of the installations covered by the scheme during phase I. The rationale behind emission trading is to ensure that the emission reductions take place where the cost of the reduction is lowest, thus lowering the overall costs of tackling climate change. The aforementioned emission reductions referred to may not, therefore, all take place in the UK.
	As phase I has not yet finished, it is difficult to quantify what the overall emission reductions will be across the EU. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others has suggested that emission reductions (abatement) across the EU resulting from the implementation of EU ETS in 2005 could be somewhere in the region of 50MtCO2 to 200MtCO2. A survey by Point Carbon showed that about two-thirds of the 800 or so EU ETS participants who responded stated they had initiated internal abatement projects as a result of the EU ETS. Another survey for the European Commission conducted by McKinsey and Ecofys also found that the EU ETS is impacting on corporate behaviour. Based on this scheme, CO2 involves a real cost. About half the companies already 'price in' the value of CO2 allowances and over 70 per cent. intend to do so in the future.

Floods

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Survey Association on flood prevention.

Ian Pearson: My Department has not held discussions with the Survey Association on flood prevention to date.

Fly-tipping: Databases

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fly-tipping incidents were reported through the Flycapture database by each local authority in their most recent returns.

Ben Bradshaw: As it is quite lengthy, I am arranging for copies of the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House.
	Data for 2006-2007 have not yet been finalised, but will be available in the summer.
	Data reflect the particular circumstances of the local authority area. As a result of Best Value Performance Indicator 199d on fly-tipping, local authorities are now being monitored for their performance in reducing overall incident numbers and increasing the amount of enforcement activity, year on year. Flycapture was always intended to be used as a management information tool to help target action, rather than to produce 'league tables'.

Grazing Land: Fences

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibilities farmers have to ensure that livestock are controlled with stockproof fences around their land.

Ben Bradshaw: Farmers have a duty of care to protect the welfare of their livestock under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Additionally, there is legislation requiring farmers to control their animals. Section 155 of the Highways Act 1980 provides that where livestock are found straying or lying on or at the side of the highway, the owner is guilty of an offence and is liable for expenses incurred in any subsequent transportation and care for the livestock.
	Section 4 of the Animals Act 1971 provides that where livestock stray onto private land, the owner of the livestock will be liable for any damage done by the livestock to the land or property, including expenses incurred if the owner of the land detains the livestock. In some circumstances the livestock may also be sold to cover such costs.

Mineral Waters

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the number of litres of bottled  (a) sparkling and  (b) still water consumed in the UK in each year since 2002; and what percentage was supplied in (i) plastic, (ii) glass and (iii) other materials.

Ian Pearson: The following table shows the estimated number of litres of mineral water consumed in the UK in each year since 2002.
	
		
			  April to March each year  Total UK consumption of mineral water (million litres) 
			 2001-02 747 
			 2002-03 793 
			 2003-04 875 
			 2004-05 950 
			 2005-06 965 
		
	
	DEFRA does not collect statistics which distinguish between sparkling and still water or the way water is packaged.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the review of nitrate vulnerable zone designations to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: A review of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) designations in England is nearly complete. It is our intention to publish national-level maps illustrating the conclusions of the review in the forthcoming consultation on amendments to the NVZ Action Programme.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms there are in nitrate vulnerable zones in England, broken down by region; and what the  (a) size and  (b) location is of each farm.

Ian Pearson: The Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) designated in 1996 and 2002 cover approximately 55 per cent. of England's land area. An estimate of the number of holdings located within these NVZs, broken down by region and size, is provided in the following table.
	It is not possible to provide personal data (i.e. the size or location of each farm) due to issues of confidentiality.
	
		
			   Size of holding (total farmed area in hectares) 
			  Region  0  >0  to <5  5 to <20  20 to <50  50 to <100  100 +  Total 
			 North East 118 270 164 144 163 243 1,102 
			 North West 1,321 2,390 1,636 1,298 1,092 660 8,397 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1,434 3,561 2,239 1,471 1,368 1,919 11,992 
			 East Midlands 2,531 4,607 3,389 2,538 2,056 3,271 18,392 
			 West Midlands 2,605 4,905 3,673 2,493 1,920 1,795 17,391 
			 Eastern 2,184 5,473 3,250 2,043 1,762 3,607 18,319 
			 London 17 43 38 23 16 9 146 
			 South East 1,556 3,311 2,675 1,611 1,054 1,912 12,119 
			 South West 2,206 3,710 2,874 1,988 1,602 1,929 14,309 
			 Total 13,972 28,270 19,938 13,609 11,033 15,345 102,167 
		
	
	It should be noted that the figures contained in the aforementioned table are estimates based upon the June Agricultural Census 2005 (DEFRA), which only seeks data from a proportion of holdings each year. In the Agricultural Census data the location of each holding is represented by a single point. If that point falls within the current NVZ boundary the area of the entire holding is included in these figures. If the point is outside the boundary no land is included.

Nitrous Oxide

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring the Government undertake of nitrous oxide levels in water supplies in England; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Nitrous oxide is a gas, and as such it is not monitored for in drinking water. Water companies are required by law to test for nitrate and nitrite. The Drinking Water Inspectorate publishes the results of these tests annually.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the retail price of chicken meat products of the introduction of the EU chicken welfare rules in 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not easy to forecast what proportion of industry costs may be passed on to consumers, as this partly depends on market conditions. However, this issue will be considered as part of a final regulatory impact assessment.

Reservoirs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the water reservoirs which  (a) have become operational in each year since 1990 and  (b) are planned; and who the operating company is in each case.

Ian Pearson: The only major public water supply reservoir, owned by a water company, to become operational since 1990 is Severn Trent Water's Carsington reservoir in 1992.
	Water companies identified the need for five new and three extended reservoirs in their 25-year water resource management plans prepared in 2004. Details are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  New reservoirs 
			  Company  Scheme  Year 
			 Southern, Mid Kent Broad Oak 2019 
			 Folkestone and Dover South East Water Clay Hill 2015 
			 Portsmouth Havant Thicket 2020 
			 Thames Abingdon 2020 
			 Severn Trent Lower Severn 2022 
		
	
	
		
			  Extended reservoirs 
			  Company  Scheme  Year 
			 Southern, Mid Kent Raise Bewl 2015 
			 South East Water Bray Enlargement 2008 
			 Essex and Suffolk Water Abberton 2014

Sewage: Rivers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information  (a) his Department and  (b) the Environment Agency collects on discharges of sewage into rivers; which rivers are monitored; and what data are collected in each case.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA does not collect this information. In 2006, the Environment Agency monitored 10,258 sewage discharges to receiving waters in England and Wales. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), ammonia, suspended solids and pH were monitored routinely, along with other parameters presenting a risk to the environment.
	The Environment Agency also monitored 6,180 river sites for water chemistry and 5,982 river sites for biology in 2006. This covered approximately 40,000 kilometres of river length in England and Wales. Monitoring at these sites included macro-invertebrates, dissolved oxygen, BOD, ammonia and nitrate.

Water Charges

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average monthly cost to consumers was of  (a) water services and  (b) sewerage services in each water supply area in 2005-06 (i) in total and (ii) for those who were (A) metered and (B) unmetered.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator for the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. In December 2004 it set price limits for the period 2005-10.
	The information requested can be found in Ofwat's 'Water and sewerage charges 2006-07 report'. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Water Supply

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will introduce a requirement on water companies to submit an application for water scarcity status before seeking permission for any new reservoir capacity.

Ian Pearson: No. In their 25-year water resource management plans, water companies are expected to follow the twin-track approach of considering the need for new resources, such as reservoirs, in parallel with the full range of options for reducing demand. New resources should be developed only where the scope for managing demand is clearly insufficient or unjustified in terms of cost.
	An application for water scarcity status would have to demonstrate that the measures proposed by the company, taking into account the water resources that are or could be made available, would be insufficient to address the deficiency of water resources.

Water Supply

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the  (a) merits,  (b) practicality and  (c) costs of constructing a water grid to enable the transportation of large volumes of water over long distances.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 900W. The situation has not changed since then.

Water Supply

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of water in each region was supplied from  (a) watercourses,  (b) aquifers,  (c) reservoirs and  (d) other sources in the last period for which figures are available; what change each figure represents from the previous period for which figures are available; and how demand is expected to change in future years.

Ian Pearson: The data in the following table are taken from the e-Digest of Environmental Statistics, published on the Department's website, and shows an average for the whole year of estimated abstractions expressed in daily amounts (mega litres per day). The data originate from the Environment Agency. Estimated actual abstractions differ from the maximum abstraction permissible under the terms of individual abstraction licences. The level of future abstractions will depend on the extent to which abstractors use their licensed capacity together with that abstracted under new licences granted.
	
		
			  Region  2003  2004  Percentage change 
			  North West
			 Non-tidal surface water 2794 2898 +3.7 
			 Groundwater 342 315 -8.6 
			 Tidal waters 6443 5792 -11 .2 
			 
			  North East
			 Non-tidal surface water 5857 6215 +6.1 
			 Groundwater 471 490 +4.0 
			 Tidal waters 71 74 +4.2 
			 
			  Midlands
			 Non-tidal surface water 4850 4664 -4.0 
			 Groundwater 1119 1047 -6.9 
			 Tidal waters 984 1092 +11.0 
			 
			  Anglian
			 Non-tidal surface water 1558 1546 -0.8 
			 Groundwater 1031 995 -3.6 
			 Tidal waters 5249 5729 +9.1 
			 
			  Thames
			 Non-tidal surface water 3225 3180 -1.4 
			 Groundwater 1631 1562 -4.4 
			 Tidal waters 1208 1208 0.0 
			  Southern
			 Non-tidal surface water 1440 1401 -2.8 
			 Ground water 1316 1260 -4.4 
			 Tidal waters 5078 5453 +7.4 
			 
			  South West
			 Non-tidal surface water 2859 3345 +17.0 
			 Groundwater 565 559 -1.1 
			 Tidal waters 2121 1643 -29.1 
		
	
	Non-tidal surface water includes reservoirs and river abstractions (watercourses).

Water Supply: Framework Directive

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations the Government has made to the European Commission on revisions to the water framework directive.

Ian Pearson: The European Commission has proposed an amendment to the EC water framework directive (WFD). This is part of a wider package to align certain existing directives with the new comitology decision, which introduced a new regulatory procedure with scrutiny. If adopted, the amendment would include the European Parliament in the scrutiny of decisions made by the Article 21 Committee of the WFD. The UK and the European Commission are engaged in ongoing negotiations about this amendment.
	Negotiations are also continuing on the WFD daughter directive on priority substances, including proposals to amend Annex X of the WFD. Again, the UK and the European Commission are engaged in this process.
	No other representations have been made by the UK Government on revisions to the WFD.

Water Supply: Framework Directive

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding the Government plan to make available for the physical restoration of water bodies to meet the objectives of the water framework directive.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA is consulting on what measures may be needed to deliver water framework directive (WFD) requirements for hydromorphological conditions in water bodies, including restoration work. The consultation closes on 28 May 2007 and papers are available on the DEFRA website.
	The competent authority is not in a position to know whether physical restoration is needed to achieve good status (the default objective of the WFD) until detailed investigations have been carried out on the impact of morphological changes on the ecological status of individual water bodies.
	Where physical restoration is required, the competent authority must determine whether the cost of this work is in proportion to the environmental improvement to be gained. As an alternative, the WFD provides for the application of different status objectives on the grounds of disproportionate cost. Economic tools for determining disproportionate cost are being developed through a collaborative research programme led by DEFRA and involving different parties affected by the WFD, including central government, regulators, industry and non-government organisations.
	It is not possible to assess how much funding may be required for physical restoration of water bodies until the investigation of need and analysis of cost effectiveness has been completed for draft river basin management plans, which will be issued for consultation in 2008. When better estimates are available, the provision of funding will need to be considered in future spending reviews.

Water: Conservation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what measures the Government are  (a) taking and  (b) considering to promote efficiency in the use of water;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to encourage water efficiency in the  (a) domestic and  (b) commercial sector.

Ian Pearson: The Government support a number of initiatives to promote water efficiency in the domestic and commercial sectors. The Water Industry Act 1991 mandates water companies in England and Wales to promote the efficient use of water to their customers. This can include the distribution of free water saving devices, free or subsidised supply pipe leak detection and repair, and free home or business water saving audits. The Water Services Regulation Authority (publicly known as Ofwat) monitors each company's actions annually and expects water companies to take a more active approach when supplies are under pressure.
	Other measures include the establishment of the Water Saving Group, which I chair, including representatives from a range of stakeholder groups. The group aims to encourage the efficient use of water in households and to contribute to demand management in the long term.
	To address water efficiency in new housing, Communities and Local Government (CLG) have introduced a code for sustainable homes (CSH). This sets out performance levels and standards, including minimum performance levels for water use.
	In addition, DEFRA and CLG have recently consulted on regulatory options for minimum standards of water efficiency in new homes and commercial buildings. Responses to the consultation will be published in due course. CLG are also reviewing the sustainability of the existing building stock, including water use.
	The Government also support a number of programmes to further sustainable water use by businesses. These include Envirowise and the enhanced capital allowance scheme for water efficient technologies.

Water: Availability and Consumption

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water on average was  (a) available to and  (b) consumed by each person in England in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) water company and (ii) region.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. It publishes information each year on estimates of average household consumption by company area, but not by region.
	Ofwat also collects information on the amount of water available for use by all customers, but not for household customers alone.
	The following table shows, by company area, the average consumption in litres for each person each day, and water available for use in megalitres each day.
	More information can be found in Ofwat's annual 'Security of supply, leakage and water efficiency' report. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
	
		
			   Water available for use (Ml/d) 2005-06  Average household per capita consumption (l/h/d) 2005-06 
			  Water and sewerage companies   
			 Anglian 1,394 144 
			 Dwr Cymru 1,359 150 
			 Northumbrian—North East 886 148 
			 Northumbrian—Essex and Suffolk 407 160 
			 Severn Trent 2,052 132 
			 South West 483 154 
			 Southern 754 153 
			 Thames 2,786 164 
			 United Utilities 2,038 142 
			 Wessex 424 151 
			 Yorkshire 1,386 145 
			
			  Water only companies   
			 Bournemouth and West Hampshire 211 158 
			 Bristol 329 155 
			 Cambridge 95 148 
			 Dee Valley 78 146 
			 Folkestone and Dover 42 153 
			 Mid Kent 179 165 
			 Portsmouth 243 160 
			 South East 357 166 
			 South Staffordshire 377 148 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 195 171 
			 Tendring Hundred 42 124 
			 Three Valleys 965 177

Water: Availability and Consumption

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water was used by  (a) domestic,  (b) business and (c) industry sectors in each year since 1992; and what the total water use was in each year.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. It collects information each year from companies on the amount of water consumed by household and non-household customers.
	The following tables show total water delivered to household and non-household customers for each year since 1992 in megalitres per day.
	
		
			  Water delivered 1992-93 to 2005-06 
			  Megalitres per day 
			   1992-93  1993-94  1994-95  1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99 
			 Households 7,987 8,120 8,313 8,815 8,600 8,464 8,281 
			 Non households 4,508 4,261 4,217 4,317 4,263 4,047 3,926 
			 Total 12,495 12,380 12,531 13,133 12,863 12,511 12,208 
		
	
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Households 8,431 8,464 8,627 8,643 8,872 8,700 8,726 
			 Non households 3,939 3,871 3,871 3,825 3,831 3,756 3,683 
			 Total 12,370 12,335 12,498 12,468 12,703 12,456 12,409 
		
	
	More information can be found in Ofwat's annual 'Security of supply, leakage and water efficiency' report. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Water: Infrastructure

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of the requirement for expenditure on new capacity in water infrastructure.

Ian Pearson: In 2001, the Environment Agency published 'Water resources for the future—a strategy for England and Wales'. The strategy is used as part of the water resources planning carried out by the Environment Agency and water companies. It sets out pressures on water resources over the next 25 years and how the Environment Agency expects these to be managed. The publication considers both national and regional water resource strategies. Water companies' water resource management plans complement these strategies. Each year the Environment Agency publishes annual reviews of actions taken under its strategy.
	From 1 April 2007, water companies will have a statutory duty to prepare and maintain long-term water resources management plans. Ofwat, as part of the periodic review process, will consider companies' business plans including investment in water infrastructure.

Water: South East Region

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that water companies in the South East share water between different resource zones.

Ian Pearson: On 1 April 2007, the preparation of water companies' 25 year water resource management plans became a statutory requirement under the Water Act 2003, and will be subject to public consultation. These plans set out the demand and supply measures water companies plan to take to maintain security of supply for their customers. The Secretary of State, Ofwat and the Environment Agency are statutory consultees, and will be able comment on the measures water companies are taking in respect of security of supply, including the transfer of water between companies' resource zones. The Secretary of State has powers to direct changes to the draft plans where he considers this is necessary.
	Ofwat can also, under section 40 of the Water Industry Act 1991, after consulting with the Environment Agency, require a water company to enter into a bulk supply agreement with another water company.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with counterparts in the Government of  (a) Laos and  (b) São Tomé and Príncipe on (i) whaling and (ii) membership of the International Whaling Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Representatives of the UK Government visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in early May to inform the Ministry of the UK's position on whaling. We received no indication from Lao of any intention to join the IWC or of their voting position if they were to do so. We have had no such discussion with São Tomé and Príncipe.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information he has received on which countries may join the International Whaling Commission in support of Japan before the annual meeting begins on 28 May; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I am disappointed if any new countries join the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to support the resumption of commercial whaling. However, since the last annual meeting, no new members have adhered to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and stated their support for Japan's pro-whaling position.
	Our posts abroad continue to lobby all countries who express any interest in joining the IWC to support the UK's position.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour: Mosquito Device

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the ultrasonic antisocial behaviour deterrent device Mosquito on retail workers under the age of 25 years;
	(2)  what discussions he has held with  (a) audiologists,  (b) radiation experts,  (c) animal rights groups and  (d) trade unions in respect of the ultrasonic antisocial behaviour deterrent device Mosquito;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the  (a) social consequences and  (b) environmental impact of the ultrasonic antisocial behaviour deterrent device Mosquito.

Tony McNulty: holding answer s  30 April 2007
	 My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not held any discussions with audiologists, radiation experts, animal rights groups or trade unions in respect of the 'Mosquito' device. The device is a commercially available device and is not subject to endorsement by the Home Office.
	As we understand it the Health and Safety Executive has considered the literature available on the Mosquito device in order to determine whether there is any risk to health, either to hearing or other effects, which might be relevant under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974. The Health and Safety Executive concluded that the literature available on very high frequency/ultrasound units of this type did not identify any significant and relevant health effects that may harm children/youths exposed to vhf/ultrasound in the long-term.
	The Health and Safety Executive also considered that in terms of noise exposure in the context of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, and therefore possible implications for persons working in proximity to these units, at the stated output level (for the Mosquito unit) of an A-weighted sound pressure level of 76 dB, for the likely daily duration of exposure, there was not likely to be any risk of an exposed person suffering hearing damage. They concluded that based on the information and evidence available, and while there is the possibility of some short-term subjective effects if the duration of exposure is prolonged, there would appear to be little likelihood of persons exposed to vhf/ultrasound from this device suffering long-term ill health.
	The Home Office has not therefore undertaken any assessment of the social consequences, environmental impact or consequences of the Mosquito device on retail workers under the age of 25.

Australia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Australian and  (b) New Zealand nationals are resident in the UK.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning how many (a) Australian and (b) New Zealand nationals are resident in the UK. (138170)
	Estimates of Australian and New Zealand nationals resident in the UK are provided in Table 1. These estimates are based on county of birth and cover the latest available twelve month period to March 2007.
	Please note that there are a number of technical notes supplied that must be read in conjunction with the estimates.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimates of the number of people( 1)  born in Australia or New Zealand and resident in the United Kingdom 
			  12  months ending March 2007( 2)  Persons ( T housand) 
			 All persons(3) 58,905 
			  O f which:  
			 Australia 119 
			 New Zealand 56 
			 (1) Calculated from those respondents in the LFS who answered the country of birth question, including people aged below 16 years. (2) Based on an average of the latest LFS quarters from April 2006-March 2007. (3) Includes people born in other countries.  Notes: 1. It should be noted that the country of birth question in the LFS: excludes those who have not been resident in the UK for six months excludes students in halls who do not have a UK resident parent excludes people in most other types of communal establishments (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites, etc.) is grossed to population estimates that only include migrants staying for 12 months or more microdata is grossed to population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003 which are significantly lower than the latest population estimates. 2. As with any sample survey, the LFS results are subject to a margin of uncertainty.  Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

Crime Prevention: NHS

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many representatives of NHS acute trusts sit on crime and disorder reduction partnerships in  (a) England and  (b) the West Midlands region;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that accident and emergency departments play a greater role in crime and disorder reduction partnerships;
	(3)  what role accident and emergency departments play in crime and disorder reduction partnerships; and what assessment he has made of their effectiveness in that role.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer s 21 May 2007
	The Government recognise that the national health service can both contribute to and benefit from local actions to tackle crime and disorder. To that end, NHS trusts, including NHS acute trusts, which incorporate accident and emergency departments, have co-operating bodies' status within Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). This means that representatives from bodies with this status are encouraged to attend CDRP meetings, for example when they have been specifically identified as leading or supporting responsible authority members in achieving the community safety objectives identified by the Partnership.
	While the Home Office measures the outcomes delivered by individual CDRPs (for example, trends in crime) information on the operational arrangements of individual partnerships is not held centrally, and neither has any formal assessment been made of the role of individual partner agencies.

Football: Tickets

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of FA Cup Final tickets being sold online in breach of the prohibition on ticket touting in respect of regulated football matches; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 23 May 2007
	 The information requested is not gathered or held by the Home Office. Monitoring websites for the unauthorised sale of football tickets is a matter for the police as part of their evidence gathering in connection with internet ticket touting.

Football: Tickets

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to ensure that online websites comply with the prohibition of ticket touting in respect of regulated football matches.

Vernon Coaker: The UK Football Policing Unit in collaboration with UEFA, the FA and the Premier League has drawn the position to the attention of companies which appear to be touting on the internet. Further enforcement of the law is a matter for police.

Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines Immigration and Nationality Directorate enforcement officials are given on how to deal with  (a) confirmed and  (b) unconfirmed illegal individuals when carrying out (i) raids and (ii) searches.

John Reid: Officers undertake intelligence led operational visits and searches to detain and remove persons who no longer have the right to remain in the UK and do so in line with operational policy and guidance. Guidelines for enforcement officers is contained in the Operational Enforcement Manual which can be found via the internet at:
	www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk>law and policy> Operational Enforcement Manual.

Immigration: Telephone Services

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff are  (a) employed by his Department and  (b) on duty between 10 am and 5 pm to answer hon. Members' immigration telephone hotline calls; and what the average number of calls per day has been since its establishment.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 May 2007
	 The Border and Immigration Agency MPs' Hotline employs 16 members of staff with up to nine call agents and four supervisors on duty to answer telephone calls between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. The Border and Immigration Agency has received on average 126 calls per day from Members of Parliament, the House of Lords and Members of the Devolved Legislatures during the period of 1 June 2003 to 11 May 2007, which is the only period where statistical information is available.

National Black Police Association

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings Ministers from his Department have had with representatives of the National Black Police Association in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: I have met representatives of the National Black Police Association on seven occasions in the last 12 months.

National Offenders Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) consultants and  (b) interim managers have been employed by (i) the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and (ii) his Department to work in or for NOMS; what the cost of employing such people was in each month since NOMS was established; and what aspect of the work of NOMS each was retained for.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of consultants NOMS has employed during the period February 2006 to end February 2007 is 79.
	
		
			  Purpose for retaining consultants  Number  Contract value (£) 
			 HT 14 1,463,070 
			 IT 15 832,325 
			 Procurement 12 924,475 
			 Project management 38 1,941,990 
			 Total 79 5,161,860 
		
	
	This total represents less than half a percent of the NOMS Budget.
	The number of interim managers which NOMS has employed during the period February 2006 to end February 2007 is 203.
	
		
			  Purpose for retaining interims  Number  Contract value (£) 
			 Staff substitutes 203 14,721,076 
			 Total 203 14,721,076 
		
	
	This total represents 1.3 per cent. of the NOMS budget.
	It is not possible to provide details of consultants or interim managers engaged for NOMS by the wider Home Office, since such details were not collated centrally during this period. This is likely to be negligible in the context of information provided in the tables.
	We are unable to provide a complete breakdown of the costs on a month-by-month basis, as invoices are not necessarily submitted on this basis as they may be submitted for a piece of work rather than a period of time.

Personation: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of  (a) identity theft and  (b) online fraud were recorded in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Joan Ryan: The information requested is not available centrally. The use of another person's identification details (or the use of false identification details), often referred to as identity theft, is not in itself an offence in law. It is the action that is undertaken, using those identification details, that needs to be considered in respect of whether an offence has occurred and should be recorded.
	With regard to online fraud, this is not a separately defined offence in law and such instances will be recorded under the appropriate fraud classification depending on the circumstances of the offence.

TREASURY

Alcoholism: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many alcohol-related deaths were recorded in each London borough in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) age group and  (b) sex.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many alcohol-related deaths were recorded in each London borough in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) age group  (b) sex, (138494)
	The attached tables provide the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in each London borough by  (a) age group and  (b) sex from 1996 to 2005 (the latest year available), A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library,

Allowances: Foster Care

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to revise the level at which foster care allowances are liable to be taxed to take account of recent changes to the fostering allowance system.

Stephen Timms: When it was introduced in 2003, the income tax exemption for foster carers was purposely set at a high level to ensure that the vast majority of carers would qualify for relief. There currently are no plans to revise the level at which foster care allowances are liable to be taxed.
	DFES have recently introduced new national minimum allowances for foster carers, but these are still well below the level at which such income becomes liable to income tax.

Bank of England: Public Appointments

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to enhancing the role of Parliament in appointing members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.

Edward Balls: Since the introduction of the Government's monetary policy framework 10 years ago UK inflation has averaged 1.5 per cent. compared with 4.2 per cent. in the preceding decade. The Government continue to monitor all aspects of the framework to ensure it remains at the forefront of international best practice.

Council Housing

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide funding to the Department for Communities and Local Government to enable the same number of council houses to be built each year as in 1967.

John Healey: The 2004 spending review provided increased funding to help deliver an additional 10,000 new social homes a year by 2007-08 compared with 2004-05. The Government recognise that there is still a need to go further and have already stated that they will set out ambitious plans for increasing social housing supply as part of the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

John Healey: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix  (a) 0870 and  (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case.

John Healey: The Treasury has no 0845 or 0870 telephone lines.

Employment: Copeland

Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in Copeland were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007;
	(2)  how many women in Copeland were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending  (a) March 1997 and  (b) March 2007.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking (i) how many people in Copeland were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending (a) March 1997 and (b) March 2007 and (ii) how many women in Copeland were recorded as being in full-time employment in the financial year ending (a) March 1997 and (b) March 2007. (138638, 138639)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Estimates of the number of people in full-time employment, resident in the Copeland constituency, as well as all the other parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain, was provided in an Answer on 3(rd) May 2007, Official Report Volume 459: column 1806W-1807W, reference 135561.
	There were 6,000 women, aged 16 and over, resident in the Copeland constituency, in full-time employment for the 12 month period ending in February 1997 based on data from the annual local area LFS. The corresponding estimate, for the 12 months ending in September 2006, the latest available data from the APS, was 8,000.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. In this case, the sample sizes are not sufficient to give an accurate estimate of even the direction of the change over the period.

Foreign Companies: VAT

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of money not paid each year to the Exchequer through the use by UK-based companies of overseas operations where value-added tax is not paid.

Stephen Timms: HMRC does not have the information required to make such an estimate.

Foreign Companies: VAT

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to require UK-based companies to pay value-added tax for transactions undertaken using locations outside the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government have monitored closely exploitation of the relief by companies making VAT-free supplies from outside the EU, particularly from the Channel Islands. It notes the action already taken by the authorities there to counter such exploitation. In particular we welcome the commitment made by Jersey authorities, in decisions with the Government, to limit the activities of companies continuing to operate on the island, with the associated revenue loss to the Exchequer. The Government remain in discussion with the Guernsey authorities on this issue. It hopes that they will shortly be in a position to make a similar commitment. The Government will continue to keep the situation under close review.

Group of Seven

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he had during the last G7 Finance Ministers' conference in Washington DC.

John Healey: The G7 Finance Ministers met from 14.30 till 22.00 on 13 April.

Insurance: Discrimination

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of whether services offered by the travel insurance industry discriminate against older people.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 408W, to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew).
	The Government's Discrimination Law Review are currently considering whether there is a case for prohibiting age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services, including insurance. The Government expect to publish a Green Paper shortly.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases his Department has recorded of employers being in breach of legislation on the national minimum wage; and how many of these cases resulted in a successful prosecution in each year since the coming into force of the relevant provisions.

Stephen Timms: The number of cases recorded where non-compliance has been identified are as follows:
	
		
			   Closed cases with arrears identified 
			 1999-2000 1,280 
			 2000-01 2,119 
			 2001-02 1,937 
			 2002-03 1,996 
			 2003-04 2,211 
			 2004-05 1,798 
			 2005-06 1,582 
			 2006-07 1,523 
		
	
	The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 contains a number of provisions empowering enforcement officers to take civil action against non-paying employers and HMRC use these in the first instance when agreement cannot be reached. Agreement is reached in over 95 per cent. of cases without recourse to these measures.
	In May 2006 the joint policy on enforcement and prosecutions was agreed between DTI, HMRC and Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Service (RCPO). To date there have been no prosecutions but a number of cases are being investigated by HMRC.

Pay: Nurses

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the saving to the Treasury resulting from phasing the nurses' pay award in 2007; what percentage of the total money supply this saving represents; and what estimated reduction in inflation is predicted as a result of staging nurses' pay in 2007.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The Government aim to strike a balance between the need to pay at levels necessary to recruit, retain and motivate staff, while at the same time ensuring that pay increases do not increase inflationary pressures and are affordable within the overall public finances.
	Wage pressures are one of the factors considered by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England when setting interest rates to meet the inflation target.

Pensioners: Income Tax

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) pensioners and  (b) pensioners over 80 years are paying income tax.

Edward Balls: The number of pensioners paying income tax in 2007-08 can be found in table 2.1 "Number of individual income taxpayers" on the HM Revenue and Customs website.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm
	There are an estimated 830,000 pensioners over the age of 80 paying income tax in 2007-08.
	The information is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2004-05 is the latest available, and projected in line with Budget 2007 assumptions.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of staff identified as pre-surplus have been re-assigned to  (a) other HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) posts and  (b) other Civil Service posts outside HMRC.

Dawn Primarolo: A total of 688 pre-surplus staff has been recorded centrally as having been re-assigned. This can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Successful in job applications 396 
			 Voluntary re-deployment within HMRC 179 
			 Compulsory re-deployment within HMRC 18 
			 Moved to other Government Departments (voluntary) 95 
		
	
	Pre-surplus is the term used by HMRC to denote those individuals whose post or work is no longer being carried out in a particular location, no longer being done by that office or where such changes are planned in the future. This status is also used for offices and parts of the Department where appropriate.
	As part of the efficiency savings identified under the Gershon and Lyons reviews HMRC is committed to reducing 25,000 posts by 2011 and pre-surplus is one of the main ways in which we are working with staff to identify posts and re-deploy staff either within the Department, to other Government Departments or to work outside the Civil Service.
	There is a great deal of support available to staff who are in this position, including support workshops, dedicated teams to secure future posts, early retirement packages where appropriate, IT solutions etc.

Voucher Schemes: Day Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps have been taken to increase employer participation in the childcare voucher scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: The tax exemptions we have introduced provide a significant incentive for employers to help their employees with the costs of childcare, whether in the form of childcare vouchers, workplace nurseries or directly contracted childcare.
	HMRC provides comprehensive help and guidance to employers and parents on its website, which is regularly reviewed and updated. This can be found at www.hmrc.gov.uk/childcare. HMRC is also about to publish a new leaflet for parents called "Paying for childcare - getting help from your employer", specifically aimed at explaining what employer-supported childcare is and how it works.

Vulture Funds

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the tax revenue collected from vulture funds registered within the UK in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many vulture funds are registered within the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: HMRC does not have any data that would enable it to identify entities that might be acting as "vulture funds" and so does not hold data on their revenue and tax payments.
	The UK is committed to tackling the actions of vulture funds. The Chancellor raised this issue with his G8 colleagues at the weekend. The G8 agreed to work together to identify measures to tackle this problem, based on the work of the Paris Club. Since then the Paris Club have confirmed their commitment to avoiding selling their claims on HIPC countries to other creditors who do not intend to provide debt relief under the HIPC initiative. In co-operation with the relevant international institutions, Paris Club creditors have agreed to intensify their work on this issue with a view to identify concrete measures to tackle this problem. See
	http://www.clubdeparis.org/sections/services/communiques/communique-presse-du/viewLanguage/en

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in  (a) England,  (b) Gloucestershire and  (c) Forest of Dean constituency were paid tax credits in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: New tax credits were introduced in April 2003, and are currently in their fifth year of operation.
	Estimates for the number of in-work families with tax credit awards by country, county, and constituency (based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05) are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis" and "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis". These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Figures for 2005-06 were published on Tuesday 22 May.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the impact on poverty of a rate of tax credit take-up of 100 per cent;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential impact of an increased claimant rate among those eligible for tax credits on poverty levels among this group.

Stephen Timms: Tax credits play a key role in making work pay and reducing poverty, and have helped to lift 600,000 children out of relative poverty since 1996-97. Latest statistics show that take-up of tax credits for families with children was 82 per cent. in 2004-05, rising to 97 per cent. for those on low incomes, significantly higher than for previous comparable systems of support. HMRC has in place a programme of activity further to raise take-up of tax credits amongst eligible families, which will contribute to the Government's objective of halving child poverty by 2010. No estimate has been made yet of the precise contribution that 100 per cent. take-up of tax credits would make to reducing poverty.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit cases have been referred to the Adjudicator's Office in the last 12 months; and how many of those  (a) have had a successful outcome and  (b) have resulted in a recommendation for compensation.

Stephen Timms: The information on the tax credit cases dealt with by the Adjudicator's Office will be published in the Adjudicator's annual report shortly.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of tax credit cases being referred to the Adjudicator's Office in the last 12 months.

Stephen Timms: This information is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 421W, on welfare tax credits: overpayments, how many notices of warning of legal proceedings if payment is not made were sent to individuals claiming tax credits in each month from April 2003 to March 2007.

Stephen Timms: The notices were sent out by local offices. The information requested is not held centrally.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any debts owed to the Child Support Agency will be written off once it has been replaced by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

James Plaskitt: I refer the right hon. Member to sections 5.38 and 5.39 on page 79 in the child maintenance White Paper "A new system of child maintenance" (Cm 6979) and section 5.38 page 75 in "A new system of child maintenance—Summary of responses to the consultation" (Cm 7061).

Child Support Agency: Advertising

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency spent on  (a) sponsoring newspaper or publication supplements and  (b) funding advertorials in newspapers and other publications in the last year for which figures are available; and what the topic was of each.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Child Support Agency spent on  (a) sponsoring newspaper or publication supplements and  (b) funding advertorials in newspapers and other publications in the last year for which figures are available; and what the topic was of each.
	The Child Support Agency incurred no cost in the 2006-07 financial year sponsoring newspapers or publication supplement, or funding advertorials in newspapers or other publications
	As part of the Agency's Operational Improvement Plan an advertising press campaign was conducted in March 2007 highlighting the Agency's enforcement powers and their use over a 12-month period. The total cost of this advertising was £126,465 in the 2006-07 financial year.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: Correspondence

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long the Child Support Agency takes to respond to inquiries from hon. Members in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long the Child Support Agency takes to respond to inquiries from hon. Members.
	The Agency aims to provide a response from an appropriate senior manager to all inquiries from hon. Members within 15-days. In 2006-07, 88.2 per cent. of inquiries from hon. Members were answered within this time.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the salary range is for each staff pay grade at the Child Support Agency; and what the mean salary is within each grade.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of state promised a substantive reply from the the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the salary range is for each staff pay grade at the Child Support Agency, and what the mean salary is within each grate.
	The table below contains the information requested. The mean salary has been calculated based on staff costs in January
	
		
			  £ 
			  Grade  Payscale  s cale  m inumn  Payscale maximum  Mean 
			 Administrative assistant 12,340 13,990, 13,142 
			 Administrative officer 13,990, 17,250 16,257 
			 Executive officer 18,160 23,510 21,038 
			 Higher executive officer 23,930 28,920 26,886 
			 Senior executive officer 29,570 35,420 33,050 
			 Unified grade 7 38,390 51,910 42,792 
			 Unified grade 6 51,790 63,510 55,230 
			 
			 Senior civil servants 56,100 205,000 87,090 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care in receipt of benefits were awaiting payment in  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the right, hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care in receipt of benefits were awaiting payment in (a) old scheme and (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.
	There are two scenarios where a parent with care can be awaiting payment. Firstly there are those cases that are waiting for a maintenance assessment/calculation to establish if or how much the non-resident parent should pay for their children. Secondly, where a positive liability has been established, a parent with care can be waiting for the non-resident parent to pay maintenance.
	The information requested can be found on the following tables.
	Table 1 shows the number of new and old scheme cases (on the new computer system only) that have not had an assessment or calculation, where the parent with care was known to be in receipt of benefit. This information is not available for the old computer system; therefore it is not representative of the total amount of cases that have not had an assessment or calculation in the Agency as a whole. Also, it is important to note that cases that have not had an assessment/calculation will not necessarily result in a positive liability to pay maintenance. Whilst the table shows an increase in the number of new scheme cases awaiting assessment where the parent with care was on benefits, it should be noted that this is due in part, to the natural growth of the new system caseload over the period in question.
	Table 2 shows the number of new and old scheme cases (on both computer systems) with a positive maintenance liability where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit but the non-resident parent was not paying maintenance. Although the number of new scheme cases where the parent with care was on benefits, and were not receiving payment, has increased, it should be noted that this is due in part, to the natural growth of the new system caseload over the period in question.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: the number of cases (on the new computer system only) that have not had an assessment or calculation, where the parent with care was known to be in receipt of benefit at the end of the quarter, February 2003 to May 2006 
			  Quarter ending  Old scheme cases operating on the new computer system  New scheme 
			 May 2003 12,000 17,000 
			 August 2003 16,000 44,000 
			 November 2003 18,000 58,000 
			 February 20404 19,000 65,000 
			 May 2004 20,000 79,000 
			 August 2004 21,000 86,000 
			 November 2004 16,000 89,000 
			 February 2005 16,000 94,000 
			 May 2005 16,000 96,000 
			 August 2005 15,000 99,000 
			 November 2005 14,000 99,000 
			 February 2006 13,000 101,000 
			 May 2006 13,000 95,000 
			  Notes: 1. To establish whether a parent with care was on benefit at a point in time the agency has to match its records to DWP benefit data. It is only possible to match data at the end of every quarter. The latest information available is for May 2006. 2. Due to restrictions of management information it is not possible to state how many uncleared cases on the old computer system have a parent with care on benefit. 3. The table does not include a number of "potential applications" received via Jobcentre Plus as the agency is unable to establish how many of these cases are genuine cases and how many are changes of circumstances on existing cases until the cases have been cleared. 4 Cases that have not had an assessment/calculation will not necessarily result in a positive liability to pay maintenance. 5. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: the number of cases (on both computer systems) with a positive maintenance liability over the three month period ending in the month shown, where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit at the end of that period, but the non-resident parent was not paying maintenance, February 2003 to May 2006 
			  Quarter ending  Old scheme  New scheme  Total 
			 February 2003 62,000 n/a 62,000 
			 May 2003 64,000 1,000 65,000 
			 August 2003 65,000 9,000 74,000 
			 November 2003 59,000 21,000 81,000 
			 February 2004 56,000 30,000 85,000 
			 May 2004 53,000 35,000 89,000 
			 August 2004 52,000 39,000 90,000 
			 November 2004 59,000 40,000 99,000 
			 February 2005 59,000 43,000 102,000 
			 May 2005 56,000 47,000 104,000 
			 August 2005 55,000 53,000 108,000 
			 November 2005 52,000 59,000 111,000 
			 February 2006 50,000 66,000 115,000 
			 May 2006 47,000 68,000 115,000 
			  Notes: 1. To establish whether a parent with care was on benefit at a point in time the agency has to match its records to DWP benefit data. It is only possible to match data at the end of every quarter. The latest information available is for May 2006. 2. The table shows the number of cases with a positive maintenance liability at the end of each three month period where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit at the end of that period, but the non-resident parent was not paying maintenance. 3. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Children: Maintenance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discretion the Child Support Agency has to allow longer periods for the payment of arrears than the guidelines suggest; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is out of the country, I am responding with his authority, on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discretion the Child Support Agency has to allow longer periods for the payment of arrears than the guidelines suggest; and if he will make a statement.
	Although the Agency aims to collect all outstanding arrears within 2 years where possible, guidelines issued to our people also reflect the terms of the Collections and Enforcement Regulations, 1992 that prohibit the Agency from recouping more than 40% of a non-resident parent's net income.
	The guidelines further allow Agency people to exercise reasonable discretion when negotiating arrears agreements. In doing so, we take account of the need to ensure non-resident parents meet their responsibilities, and then more maintenance gets to more children. Full account of the circumstances of the client in question are also taken, and in some cases the Agency can allow a longer period for the payment of the arrears than two years.
	I hope your find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much had been received by the Child Support Agency by non-resident parents but not sent on to the parent with care on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the figure was on the same day in each year since 2003.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, date 24 May 2007:
	In reply to you recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and pensions, how much had been received by the Child Support Agency by non-resident parents but not sent on to the parent with care on the most recent date for which figures are available; and what the figure was on the same day in each year since 2003.
	The Agency collection service deals with significant sums passing through its bank account (in excess of £600 million in each of the last two years). As a consequence the Agency bank balance is continually turning over with receipts from Non Resident Parents and employers which need to be assigned and be paid out to Parents with Care or the Secretary of State (where the Parent with Care is in receipt of benefit).
	The table below contains a snapshot of the Agency's bank account for each of the last four years.
	
		
			  Statement of balances 
			  £000 
			   31 March 2006  31 March 2005  31 March 2004  31 March 2003 
			 Funds awaiting clearance 7,739 9,610 8,487 7,671 
			 Cleared funds awaiting distribution 6,416 14,189 11,012 10,718 
			 Total 14,155 23,799 19,499 18,389 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for March 2007 are not yet available for publication as they are subject to National Audit Office scrutiny ahead of the publication of the Agency's 2007 annual report and accounts. 2. Cleared funds awaiting distribution include payments, which are in the process of being paid out but are subject to standard banking processing, which take three working days. It also includes cases for which further information is required before maintenance payments can be released. 
		
	
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average time was taken for applications to the Child Support Agency to be processed from the initial application to clearance stage in each quarter since spring 2003; and what the average wait was for such cases.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, date 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken for applications to the Child Support Agency to be processed from the initial application to clearance stage in each quarter since spring 2003; and what the average wait was for such cases.
	The latest statistics on the average age of clearances of New Scheme cases has been published in table 4 of the March 2007 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications were made to the Child Support Agency in each quarter since spring 2003; and how many were  (a) cleared for maintenance payments and  (b) cleared for closure in each quarter.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive rely from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications have been made to the Child Support Agency in each quarter since spring 2003; and of these how many have been (a) cleared for maintenance payments and (b) cleared for closure in each quarter.
	The latest statistics on new scheme applications cleared and how they were cleared has been published in tables 2.3 and 2.4 of the March 2007 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics.
	A copy of this is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp
	I hope you find this answer helpful

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Support Agency expects to be able to secure maintenance payments in the case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead Lyndsy Graves; and what the reasons are for the time taken to do so.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Support Agency expects to be able to secure maintenance payments in the case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Birkenhead, Lyndsy Graves; and what the reasons are for the time taken to do so.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

DNA

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1826W, on DNA, on how many occasions DNA data collected by the Child Support Agency were made available to other  (a) Departments,  (b) agencies and  (c) public authorities.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 24 May 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply form the chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3rd May 2007, Official Report, column 1826W, on DNA on how many occasions DNA data collected by the Child Support Agency was made available to other (a) departments (b) agencies and (c) other public authorities.
	The Agency does not collect DNA data; only information concerning whether there has been a referral to a DNA testing company, whether a test was conducted and the outcome of any such tests is stored.
	Neither the Agency nor its contractual supplier of DNA testing facilities routinely discloses any information relating to it s clients to any third party, including other government departments, agencies or other public authorities. Indeed the contract with our supplier of DNA tests contains a confidentiality clause that prohibits the company from disclosing information gathered in the course of its work for the Agency and binds the contractual supplier to the terms of the Official Secrets Act 1911-89 and Section 123 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.
	The Agency is careful to conform to all the requirements of the Data Protection Act. The public can be confident that their privacy is assured and any personal information the Agency hold is not disclosed without consent, barring certain exceptional circumstances where disclosure is in the public interest, or to meet statutory requirements. I am not aware of any case in which the Agency has been required to share the results of a DNA test with any party other than those involved in the test.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

English Language

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has plans to extend the additional funding for English as a second language training proposed for London to other UK cities with large populations of residents for whom English is not a first language.

Jim Murphy: The Budget announced £5.7 million funding to trial short, work-focused approaches to provide training in English as a second language in the London Cities Strategy pathfinders for parents with English language needs on benefits and tax credits.
	We will use this additional provision to supplement the current range of provision in London, targeting the needs of this priority group, helping to make better links between English language skills and employment outcomes.
	Any extension of this approach into other cities will be considered after evaluation of the London pilots.

IT Projects

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which information technology projects are being undertaken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies; what the (i) start date, (ii) original planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) originally planned costs and (v) estimated costs are of each; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1162-68W, to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable).

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 467W, on social security benefits: fraud, if he will list and describe the other techniques referred to; how the caller's voice is recorded using voice risk analysis software if the customer is not present; and whether the Department intends to test the voice risk analysis software with customers  (a) present and  (b) absent.

James Plaskitt: The Department intends to test voice risk analysis software in combination with questions designed to highlight risk factors and identify other inconsistencies in real-time telephone conversations.

JUSTICE

Criminal Justice Act 2003

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact on the conviction rate of those pleading not guilty before the courts of the provisions of sections 100 to 103 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of  (a) the number of contested trials in which, since the commencement of sections 100 to 103 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, evidence of bad character has been admitted,  (b) the number and percentage of those trials which have resulted in conviction and  (c) the percentage of all trials before the courts in which such evidence has been admitted;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the overall effects on the criminal justice system of the implementation of sections 100 to 103 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

David Hanson: Detailed statistics on these matters are not collected routinely. However, following the implementation of Part 11 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, we have conducted a research project to evaluate the effect of the bad character provisions. The aims of the research are: to determine how frequently applications are made to adduce evidence about the bad character of the defendant and of non-defendants in criminal trials and how frequently applications are granted and refused; to establish how the provisions are being implemented and interpreted by legal practitioners and the courts; to explore what impact the provisions have had upon the balance struck between prosecution and defence interests in criminal trials; to consider to what extent, if any, the provisions have had a differential impact upon defendants or non-defendants from black and minority ethnic groups; and to explore whether the provisions have had any impact upon witnesses' willingness to give evidence. This research is currently undergoing a peer review process.

Departments: Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many people with epilepsy are employed by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: This information can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost given that it is not recorded centrally.
	Within the former DCA briefing papers are disseminated to workplace support advisers (formerly welfare) and HR advisers on how to deal with reasonable adjustments for those people with epilepsy.
	The Prison Service is committed to work with each individual member of staff who has a disability, including those with epilepsy, to ensure the most appropriate reasonable adjustments are made to enable them to continue working for us.

Elections

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was spent by her Department on the use of electronic counting technology and equipment for the May 2007 elections to the Scottish Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: My Department did not incur any expenditure on the use of electronic counting technology and equipment for the May 2007 elections to the Scottish Parliament.

Fines: Victim Support Schemes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much is expected to be received from payments of the victims surcharge in financial years  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11.

Harriet Harman: It is estimated that £15.1 million of surcharge monies will be collected in the first full year of implementation, but this estimate did not explicitly relate to 2007-08. The estimate is expected to remain valid for future years. No estimates have been made for specific financial years.

Fines: Victim Support Schemes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what will happen to money received from payments of the victims surcharge.

Harriet Harman: Monies received from the victims surcharge will go to the victims fund that will be dispersed to projects and schemes to support the victims and witnesses of crime.

Legal Aid: Ethnic Groups

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the recommendations of the Carter Review of legal aid on black and minority ethnic legal firms in London;
	(2)  if she will undertake to conduct a race impact assessment of the proposed Carter Review reforms of legal aid;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the implementation of the recommendations of the Carter Review of legal aid on access to justice by clients with disabilities.

Vera Baird: The Government set out their overall strategy for the reform of legal aid procurement in "Legal Aid Reform: the way ahead", published in November last year. This was accompanied by a final regulatory impact assessment of those policies that were fully developed for implementation. These can be found on the Legal Services Commission's website at:
	www.legalservices.gov.uk/civil/docs_for_consultation/openConsultations002.asp.
	In addition, as we progress along the proposed reform programme, the LSC and Ministry of Justice are, between us, producing draft and final regulatory impact assessments as appropriate at each step of the process. These assessments take into account any relevant impacts that are identified in the policy formulation and decision-making process, such as for BME-owned firms and BME practitioners, for clients with disabilities and for rural areas.
	Where possible, impacts are also identified on a local level, including for London. These will be available on the Legal Services Commission's website. As we progress with our reforms, our overarching aim is to ensure access to quality legal aid services for all clients.

Medical Tribunals

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what plans she has to record details of the nature of medical conditions of people who attend medical tribunals; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are no plans to record details of medical conditions of people who attend medical tribunals.
	The Tribunals Service does record the benefit type and the issue to be decided on their processing system in all benefit cases.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what guidance her Department has provided to benefit appeal tribunals on the chronic condition of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Guidance is not issued by any Government Department to appeal tribunals on how to approach cases or decide them. Instead, the Department for Work and Pensions has made available to tribunals the disability handbook which contains a section on chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Written Questions

Edward Garnier: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice when she will reply to parliamentary question 122915, tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough for written answer on 20 February 2007.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have replied to the hon. Gentleman's question today.

Young Offenders: Education

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice if she will revise the prison orders applying to young female offenders to make specific provision for their education.

Vera Baird: The provision of education for young female offenders is set out in the under-18 version of the offender's learning journey, the document that specifies the service to be delivered by the Learning and Skills Council's providers. The offender's learning journey requires providers to assess the learning needs of offenders, providing a service personalised to their needs. The offender's learning journey is currently being updated. No consequential amendments will need to be made to Prison Service Order 4950 on the Care and Management of Young People.

Youth Justice Board

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the answers of  (a) 21 March 2007,  Official Report, column 976W and  (b) 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1060W, on the Youth Justice Board, whether the research published on the Youth Justice Board's website represents all research that the Board has commissioned.

David Hanson: All completed research which meets the YJB's quality assurance standards has been published on the YJB's website. Some projects have not been published because they do not meet research quality standards, for example they have limited data quality and sample sizes which are too small to validate findings.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Airports

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce changes in policy on the ground operations of all UK airports.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to change policy on ground operations at UK airports. These operations are governed by the EU Groundhandling Directive 1996 which aims at liberalising the provision of groundhandling services through the introduction of competition.

Broadband

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what benchmarking exercises his Department has undertaken on the  (a) minimum speed used to define and  (b) availability of broadband in the UK and other European countries; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: In order to maximise resources my Department agreed with Ofcom in June 2005 that we would share research data on  (a) minimum speeds and  (b) availability of broadband. It seemed sensible for Ofcom to lead in light of their responsibilities under the Communications Act 2003.
	Ofcom's report, entitled 'The International Communications Market report' benchmarks the UK's performance against international competitors and allows us to monitor minimum speed and availability of broadband. We also source research and information from other EU and OECD reports. The latest update of Ofcom's 'The International Communications Market 2006' can be found on their website at:
	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/icmr06/
	Ofcom define the speed of broadband as being "always on" and providing a bandwidth greater than 128kbit/s. OECD data define the speed of broadband as any connection that has download speeds equal to or faster than 256 Kbit/s.
	My Department did commission two reports from 2002 to 2006, which benchmarked the  (b) availability of broadband in the UK and other European countries. Both are available on the DTI website.
	1. The International and UK Broadband Market Report produced by Ovum. http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file29469.pdf International Broadband Market Comparisons Update
	2. The Sophisticated Broadband Services Report produced by Analysys Consulting.
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file29468.pdf Sophisticated Broadband Services Report - May 2006.

Combined Heat and Power: Building Regulations

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on possible amendments to the Building Regulations to include a requirement to install microgeneration technologies in new and refurbished buildings.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Minister for Energy have held regular discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government on a range of energy issues including the role of Building Regulations in promoting microgeneration.

Competition

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets are set by his Department for regional development agencies (RDAs) to support the Government's target on regional competitiveness; what assessment he has made of performance by each RDA against these targets; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The RDA tasking framework, introduced in April 2005, comprises a set of 10 output targets: with the RDAs agreeing specific numbers against them. The targets cover employment creation and support, business creation and support, leverage of public and private sector infrastructure investment, brownfield land reclamation/redevelopment, and skills development. The performance of the RDAs against their targets is laid before Parliament every six months. Nationally, as a network, the RDAs have achieved or exceeded their targets every year since a common target framework was introduced in 2002, except in 2002-03 when the employment target was not met, and in 2005-06 when the level 2 skills sub-target was not met.

Competition: North West Region

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that the spending decisions of the North West Regional Development Agency are consistent with the public service agreement target for regional competitiveness.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 The RDA tasking framework requires each RDA, including the North West Development Agency, to show in its corporate plan how it will contribute to the delivery of a number of Government PSA targets, including the regional economic performance PSA. The NWDA's current corporate plan for 2005-08 outlines the RDA's proposed expenditure over the current spending review settlement period and was approved by Ministers in July 2005. To monitor the progress against the targets the RDAs are required to report their results every six months.

Departments: Official Visits

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on visits and related activities undertaken by his Department's  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials, including departmentally sponsored agencies, in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information in the format requested would be available only at disproportionate costs. However the following table shows the total expenditure for each of the last three years for both Ministers and officials on travel and subsistence.
	
		
			   Total  (£000) 
			 2004-05 10,064 
			 2005-06 11,010 
			 2006-07 10,331 
		
	
	The totals shown cover the Core DTI, the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Weights and Measurement Laboratories and the UK Intellectual Property Office.
	Travel and subsistence payments include: rail and air fares, taxis, mileage allowances, hotel costs and subsistence payments.

Glaztek

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on  (a) facilities closure and  (b) redundancies at Glaztek in Harworth.

Margaret Hodge: I have received no representations concerning either the facilities closure or redundancies at Glaztek in Harworth.

Mining

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much methane was extracted from former colliery sites in  (a) the UK,  (b) West Yorkshire and  (c) Hemsworth constituency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information on colliery methane production and consumption is published in Table 4.2 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2006. The latest data relate to 2005 and show production of 757 GWh. Data are available at the UK level only and relate to production from operating collieries. There was no recorded production of coal bed methane from former colliery sites in 2005.

Nuclear Power: Pollution Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions have been  (a) initiated and  (b) won in the courts by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate against (i) companies, (ii) local authorities and (iii) individuals in relation to incidents of pollution, broken down by (A) region, (B) band of level of fine and (C) type of pollution incident.

Malcolm Wicks: None: the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive does not investigate or prosecute cases of pollution. (The Environment Agencies are the responsible bodies for investigating or prosecuting cases of pollution.)

Radioactive Wastes: Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what requirements there are for the return for long-term management or disposal of radioactively contaminated metals exported from decommissioning facilities at Sellafield to the Studsvik decontamination plant once processed; whether safety and security plans covering shipments from Sellafield to Studsvik have been approved by his Department; and what the costs are to  (a) British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd and  (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of the planned shipments of such material from Sellafield to Studsvik.

Malcolm Wicks: The return of radioactively contaminated metals exported from decommissioning facilities at BNG Sellafield to Studsvik Sweden must meet the requirements of regulators both in the UK and Sweden. Following treatment by smelting in Sweden, the metal is recycled through the Swedish metals industry. This might require the metal to be held at Studsvik Sweden for a period of 'decay' storage in order to achieve the recycling concentration criteria established by the Swedish environmental regulator and the European Commission. If the concentration of radioactivity in the metal is too high to achieve the recycling criteria within 10 years of 'decay' storage it will be returned to the UK for storage or disposal. If repatriation is required it will usually occur within two years of the smelting process. Radioactive waste materials separated out in the smelting process (for example in the slag) are separated and returned to the UK consignor for disposal, together with any other radioactive wastes produced.
	These arrangements are contractual obligations and have been agreed between the Environment Agency and the Swedish regulator (SSI).
	The costs of such shipments are a commercial matter for the NDA and BNG Sellafield.

Renewable Energy: Research

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding was provided by his Department for research and development into renewable energy technologies in each year since 1990, broken down by type.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department and Research Councils expenditure on R and D on renewable energy technologies from 1996 is set out in the following tables. It has not been possible to collate expenditure since 1990 in the time available at proportionate cost.
	
		
			  DTI Renewable energy R and D expenditure 
			  £ 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Bioenergy 2,575,853 1,464,922 1,193,500 1,664,159 1,353,942 1,348,962 
			 Hydrogen 141,884 56,950 79,965 137,731 60,269 129,626 
			 Solar/PV 1,889,415 1,672,937 1,006,877 1,282,761 1,265,798 1,522,106 
			 Wave and Tidal 54,865 7,670 95,649 20,442 360,849 968,033 
			 Wind 2,377,360 1,246,222 957,769 808,587 912,822 1,247,901 
			 Total 7,039,377 4,448,701 3,333,760 3,913,680 3,953,680 5,216,628 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bioenergy 1,637,073 1,604,705 974,222 879,123 301,055 
			 Hydrogen 200,391 85,244 33,045 — 8,088 
			 Solar/PV 4,484,914 3,130,705 1,970,338 1,782,327 1,127,622 
			 Wave and Tidal 2,744,782 5,018,572 1,235,488 1,655,194 2,257,894 
			 Wind 1,427,651 1,394,696 1,459,598 1,136,774 844,752 
			 Total 10,494,811 11,233,922 5,672,691 5,453,418 4,539,411 
		
	
	
		
			  Research Councils energy R and D expenditure 
			  £000 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Biofuel 0 0 0 22 52 144 135 92 184 
			 Biomass 447 871 736 601 701 783 1,043 1,158 1,840 
			 CHP 4 36 63 77 267 357 226 71 51 
			 CO2 sequestration 0 0 0 23 42 78 30 966 1,072 
			 Fuel cells 888 1,012 703 899 1,145 1,468 1,193 917 1,207 
			 Hydrogen and other Vectors 30 136 59 83 319 517 1,494 1,477 1,499 
			 Solar 1,440 1,286 1,076 1,134 1,130 1,157 1,453 1,503 1,534 
			 Photovoltaic 2,255 3,002 2,760 2,992 3,536 2,770 2,381 2,676 2,531 
			 Wave and tidal 0 157 175 301 606 617 830 995 1,026 
			 Wind 200 226 178 261 330 490 482 243 125 
			 Waste 66 10 40 40 96 125 169 154 79 
			 Geothermal 0 0 0 40 65 64 73 79 106 
			 Storage 326 650 670 838 889 810 730 467 789 
			 Networks 1,348 1,168 1,081 919 1,115 1,388 1,805 2,390 3,666 
			 Other renewable 0 49 49 128 28 28 28 30 114 
			 Total renewable 7,003 8,602 7,590 8,356 10,319 10,795 12,072 13,218 15,823 
		
	
	In addition the Research Councils have supported further research relating to energy in the work of the Tyndall Centre for climate change research, which has some £15.6 million funding from Research Councils over 2000-09, and in the work of the UK Energy Research Centre which commenced operation in 2004, with a budget of £13.9 million for 2004-09.

Telephone Services: Utilities

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with regulatory bodies on the cost to customers of utility companies' customer helplines.

Malcolm Wicks: The Secretary of State and the Minister for Energy have had no discussions with regulatory bodies about this issue.

Utilities: Fees and Charges

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what complaints his Department has received about utility companies that charge a payment processing fee to customers who do not use direct debit facilities.

Margaret Hodge: I have received a number of representations from hon. Members about this matter. I have therefore raised the issue with the chief executive officer of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom is considering whether the level of the charges across the communications sector raises regulatory issues.

Utilities: Fees and Charges

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate has been made of the income generated by utility companies as a result of payment processing charges for customers who do not use direct debit facilities.

Margaret Hodge: No estimate has been made as this is a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
	My understanding is that organisations do apply a price differential between customers who pay their accounts by direct debit and those who pay by other means on the basis of increased processing and debt management costs associated with payments not made by direct debit. Such differentials are common practice among both communications providers and utility service providers.

Utilities: Fees and Charges

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with utility companies on the payment processing charges for customers who do not use direct debit facilities.

Margaret Hodge: I have raised this issue with BT and the chief executive officer of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). BT operates schemes to ensure that vulnerable groups have access to affordable telephone services. BT reassured me that their special tariff schemes are not affected by the increased charges. Ofcom is considering whether the level of the charges across the communications sector raises regulatory issues.
	Telecoms providers and utility providers do mostly apply a price differential between customers who pay by direct debit and those who pay by other means on the basis of increased processing and debt management costs associated with payments not made by direct debit.
	I have not held discussions with other utility suppliers on this issue.

TRANSPORT

A303: Stonehenge

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce his decision on the A303(T) improvement scheme at Stonehenge.

Stephen Ladyman: We are considering the findings of the inter-departmental review of the Stonehenge Improvement Scheme and alternative options. In order to understand more fully the effects of some of the options on the operation of the A303 and the local road network, it has been necessary to undertake further detailed analysis based on up-to-date traffic surveys which were undertaken last autumn. The results from this work will be considered alongside the findings of the review group to inform our decision on the way forward for this scheme which we expect to announce later in 2007.

Air Routes: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has held with local authorities in Shropshire on air routes over the Shropshire Hills and the Wrekin.

Gillian Merron: None. The CAA's Directorate of Airspace Policy has lead responsibility for the regulation of UK airspace, including consideration of the environmental impact of any airspace changes.

Airports: Security

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who is responsible for the security regime operating for passengers in UK airports; what standardisation exists throughout the EU to ensure that equal security provisions are imposed on all European travellers; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State, through the Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (TRANSEC) of my Department, sets the security requirements and standards to be applied at UK airports. The airports themselvesand other directed parties such as airlinesare responsible for implementing the measures. The Department monitors compliance with security requirements and takes enforcement action where necessary.
	Regulation EC/2320/2002 sets a common baseline for security standards at all European Union airports. Member states may however impose more stringent measures within their own territory where they judge this to be appropriate.

British Transport Police: Manpower

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) police officers and  (b) community support officers there are in the British Transport Police in (i) Swansea and (ii) England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, email: general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk

Bus Services: Competition

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which barriers to entry to the market in the provision of bus services he has identified; and what steps he plans to take to remove the barriers identified.

Gillian Merron: We have not identified any regulatory barriers to entry to this market. Outside London, the bus market is deregulated. Any operator who holds a public service vehicle operator's licence, or a voluntary body that hold a community bus (section 22) permit, may register a bus service with the traffic commissioner and begin to operate it 56 days after the date of registration. In London, operators who hold such a licence or permit may tender for services in the London bus network.

Bus Services: Grants

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to bus operators through the Bus Service Operators Grant in each year since 2000-01, broken down by  (a) region and  (b) local authority and passenger transport executive areas.

Gillian Merron: The totals paid by the Department to bus operators in Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) since 2000-01 have been as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			   London  England (excluding London)  Total 
			 2000-01 47.40 253.90 301.30 
			 2001-02 55.90 248.40 304.30 
			 2002-03 65.90 251.30 317.20 
			 2003-04 80.30 261.20 341.50 
			 2004-05 90.70 268.10 358.80 
			 2005-06 95.30 274.20 369.50 
			 2006-07 96.60 283.90 380.50 
		
	
	BSOG is paid direct to bus operators. Routes and operators cross local government boundaries and it is not possible to make sufficiently accurate estimates of the split of expenditure between local authority or passenger transport executive areas or regions, other than for London for which figures are given in the table.

Bus Services: Grants

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current rates are of the Bus Service Operators Grant scheme for each fuel type.

Gillian Merron: Bus Service Operators Grant rates are related to the fuel duty levied on the fuel concerned. The current rates, increased with effect from 7 December 2006, by fuel type.
	
		
			   Pence per litre 
			 Ultra low sulphur diesel (1)39.21 
			 Diesel 39.21 
			 Sulphur free diesel 39.21 
			 Ultra low sulphur petrol 36.83 
			 Unleaded petrol 36.83 
			 Sulphur free petrol 36.83 
			 Biodiesel 28.35 
			 Gas (2)10.81 
			 (1 )This rate also applies to a 95 per cent. / 5 per cent. diesel/biodiesel blend (2 )Pence per kilogram

Bus Services: Grants

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services are supported by rural bus grants, broken down by local authority area.

Gillian Merron: The main grant by which the Department supports rural bus services is the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant. The following table shows the latest information provided by each local authority on the number of services supported by the grant (figures showing the position as at March 2007 will be available later this year).
	The Department has also provided funding to projects successful in Rural Bus Challenge competitions held between 1998 and 2003. A total of 110 million was awarded to 301 projects. The majority of these are now continuing after their period of funding from the Challenge scheme. Details of the annual awards are on the Department's website.
	Local authorities also support rural bus services from their own resources, including Revenue Support Grant.
	
		
			  Rural Bus Subsidy Grant 
			  Local authority  Services supported  2005-06 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 11 
			 Bedfordshire 14 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3 
			 Bracknell Forest 2 
			 Brighton and Hove City 1 
			 Bristol City 3 
			 Buckinghamshire 44 
			 Cambridgeshire 21 
			 Cheshire 25 
			 Cornwall 53 
			 Cumbria 55 
			 Darlington 3 
			 Derbyshire 76 
			 Devon 47 
			 Dorset 29 
			 Durham 50 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 78 
			 East Sussex 28 
			 Essex 30 
			 Gloucestershire 80 
			 Greater Manchester 17 
			 Halton 1 
			 Hampshire 31 
			 Hartlepool 5 
			 Herefordshire 26 
			 Hertfordshire 14 
			 Isle of Wight 16 
			 Kent 80 
			 Lancashire 27 
			 Leicestershire 25 
			 Lincolnshire 133 
			 Medway 7 
			 Merseyside 3 
			 Middlesbrough 1 
			 Milton Keynes 6 
			 Norfolk 114 
			 NE Lincolnshire 2 
			 North Lincolnshire 27 
			 North Somerset 13 
			 North Yorkshire 83 
			 Northamptonshire 39 
			 Northumberland 62 
			 Nottinghamshire 30 
			 Oxfordshire 21 
			 Peterborough City 7 
			 Plymouth City 5 
			 Borough of Poole (1) 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5 
			 Rutland 5 
			 Shropshire 34 
			 Somerset 49 
			 South Gloucestershire 18 
			 South Yorkshire 25 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent City 3 
			 Staffordshire 56 
			 Swindon Borough 4 
			 Suffolk 72 
			 Surrey 27 
			 Telford and The Wrekin 5 
			 Thurrock 1 
			 Torbay Borough 2 
			 Tyne and Wear 4 
			 Warrington 3 
			 Warwickshire 52 
			 West Berkshire 9 
			 West Midlands 6 
			 West Sussex 21 
			 West Yorkshire 53 
			 Wiltshire 40 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2 
			 Wokingham 2 
			 Worcestershire 53 
			 City of York 7 
			 Total 2,004 
			 (1) Data for borough of Poole included in Dorset figure.  Note: Figures for Buckinghamshire and Durham are estimated based on previous years returns.

Bus Stations

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus stations there are in England, broken down by  (a) local authority and  (b) passenger transport executive areas.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally.

Cycling: Highway Code

Gavin Strang: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the revised version of rule 47 of the Highway Code from cyclists and their representatives.

Stephen Ladyman: In the course of the public consultation on proposed changes to the Highway Code in 2006, DSA received a total of 2,612 comments on rule 58 in the consultation text (the equivalent of rule 47 in the current edition of the Highway Code and rule 61 in the proposed draft code laid in Parliament on 28 March 2007). 32 of these comments were from cycling organisations, 29 from other organisations, 10 from MPs and 2,541 from individuals who may or may not be cyclists. A summary of consultation responses, including those on cycling issues, was placed in the Libraries of both Houses when the proposed revised code was laid before Parliament on 28 March 2007. It is also available on line at:
	www.dsa.gov.uk.
	In addition to this consultation, we have since received correspondence from MPs, cycling organisations and individuals on this issue. The numbers of such queries have not been collected.

Dartford Tunnel: Fees and Charges

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the local discount scheme for residents living in the vicinity of the Dartford Crossing announced by his Department on 2 April 2007 following its consultation on changes to charges at the Dartford Crossing.

Stephen Ladyman: The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing has brought huge benefits over the years. But surrounding communities have borne the brunt of the added pollution and congestion. The Department has registered the demand for local discounts expressed through the consultation exercise on the proposals set out in our document Proposed Changes to Charges at The Dartford - Thurrock River Crossing. I have accepted in principle that there is a case for local discounts, alongside the implementation of the other proposals in the consultation paper.
	The Department will now be considering how discounts can be delivered in a way that is fair and protects the interests of both local people and taxpayers. We will be consulting on detailed proposals later in the year. In the meantime the current charging system will continue unchanged.
	The local discount scheme does not alter our plans for discounts for anyone who chooses to use a 'DART-Tag'. These drivers will be able to use the crossing for the current 1 cash charge regardless of where they live.

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by his Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Gillian Merron: Details of the outside agencies and consultancies who are currently undertaking work commissioned by the Department are not held centrally and a complete list could be provided only at disproportionate cost. 399 different agencies and consultancies worked for the central Department and its agencies during financial year 2006-07 on commissions that have been recorded within the Department's accounting systems as consultancy.
	The following are examples of some of the projects undertaken during 2006-07:
	Technical consultancy for a digital tachograph project;
	Study to Review Proposals for an In-Service Testing of Low Emission Diesel Engines;
	Organisational Consultancy for the DVLA Local Office Directorate;
	Advice in Connection with Development of a New DVLA Pay Structure;
	Development of a Business Case for Automatic Number Plate Reader;
	Development of a Business Case for Weigh in Motion Systems;
	Traffic Officer Service Development;
	Development of a Journey Time Reliability Measures;
	Business Improvement Projects;
	Transport Direct;
	Cycling Demonstration Towns - to Measure Cycle Trips.

Departments: Driving Offences

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department paid in  (a) parking fines and  (b) speeding fines in 2006.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport and its agencies maintain the policy that traffic violations such as parking tickets and speeding fines remain the responsibility of the individual, and are not reimbursed from public resources. The one exception to this is the Government Car and Despatch Agency which pays parking tickets when they arise operationally in circumstances where overriding security requirements necessarily dictate the choice of parking location. The GCDA are the Government's own services for moving people and documents safely and reliably throughout the UK. The amount paid by the GCDA in 2006 was 11,165.

Departments: Greater London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's responsibilities are with respect to London; what responsibilities he holds jointly with the Mayor of London; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport provides national leadership across the transport sector, working with regional, local and private sector partners who deliver many of the services.
	The Mayor of London's statutory responsibilities are set out in the Greater London Transport Act 1999. Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for implementing the Mayor's transport strategy. It manages the buses, the underground, the docklands light rail (DLR), Croydon tramline, a 580-kilometre network of main roads, all of London's 4,600 traffic lights and has a strategic role in traffic management. TfL also runs London river services, Victoria coach station, regulates taxis and the private hire trade and runs the dial-a-ride service for those who need door-to-door transport.
	DfT provides a substantial transport grant to TfLover 2.3 billion in 2006-07to support the delivery of its transport objectives.
	The Secretary of State and the Mayor of London, under the Railways Act 2005, have a duty to co-operate with regard to the provision of London rail passenger services.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff funded by the public purse in his Department are classified as people without posts.

Gillian Merron: The number of staff in the Department for Transport classified as people without a post is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality as it is less than five.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in his Department's balance sheet  (a) is in 2007 and  (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Gillian Merron: The HM Treasury signed deals list identifies departmental managed projects that are 'on balance sheet'. This is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls
	The balance sheet presentation of Department for Transport 'on balance sheet' PFI projects is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			  Scheme  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07( 1) 
			 DVLA Estates Rationalisation0.60 2.71 
			 M40 83.53 87.52 96.38 100.84 109.37 
			 A19 56.08 58.76 64.71 67.70 73.43 
			 A30 156.87 164.37 181.02 189.38 205.41 
			 A1(M) 225.59 236.38 260.31 272.35 295.39 
			 A417/A419 117.85 123.49 135.99 142.27 154.31 
			 A50 42.02 44.03 48.49 50.73 55.03 
			 M1-A1 463.86 486.04 535.25 559.99 607.37 
			 A69 22.08 23.14 25.48 26.66 28.92 
			 A1 Darrington to Dishforth74.01 217.57 
			 A249 IWADE 82.96 
			 NRTS 24.24 
			 M6 Toll  91.79 90.16 99.29 111.65 
			 Dartford Crossing 538.89 560.47 573.10 599.06 590.32 
			 Severn Crossing 758.20 787.83 805.64 842.17 875.13 
			 NTCC   46.71 47.03 35.10 
			 (1) Unaudited  Notes: 1. The values shown are at the original public sector comparator costs for the new build component of each contract indexed for each individual year except as described in the following notes. 2. A1 Darrington to Dishforth, A249 and NTCC are valued using the base cost estimate supplied by the concessionaire at the tender stage, indexed for each individual contract. 3. NRTS reflects the value of work completed to date. 4. Severn Crossing reflects the value of both structures and is based on professional valuations indexed for each year. 5. Dartford Crossing reflects the value of the tunnels and the bridge and is based on professional valuations for each year. 6. These valuations are taken from the Highways Agency published accounts and may differ from those published in the Treasury signed deals list, which are valued at the public sector procuring body's estimate of the capital value of the property the private sector purchases or creates for delivering services under a PFI.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by his Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The capital value and revenue budget for Department for Transport PFI projects is available and updated at six monthly intervals through the HM Treasury Signed Deals list. The information is published on the Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/0A/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls
	All payments to the contractor will come from the revenue budgets.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Gillian Merron: All payments made under PFI are identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism.
	For information on the value of each project, I would refer the hon. Member to the Treasury website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/0A/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments by his Department was  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not retain information on how PFI payments have been used by the contractor to repay capital or for other purposes. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Highways Agency has undertaken its own estimate of capital repayments on its projects and a table has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Departments: Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department with the prefix  (a) 0870 and  (b) 0845; and whether alternative geographic numbers are available in each case.

Gillian Merron: The requested details on 0870 and 0845 telephone helplines in the Department for Transport are as follows:
	
		
			   Number of 0845 and 0870 helplines  Services accessed from each  Whether alternative geographic numbers available 
			 Department for Transport (Central) 0   
			 DVLA (1)17 Information services, automated self services, technical helpdesks, reporting unlicensed vehicles No, apart from one general switchboard for public use 
			 DSA (1)4 All related to practical and theory driving test bookings No 
			 HA (2)4 HA information line and central switchboard traffic England phone service and publications Only the 0845 lines have corresponding 0121 numbers 
			 MCA (1)1 MCA Infoline No 
			 VGA 0   
			 VOSA (3)3 Public hotline, operator licence credit card payment and national number All also have geographical numbers available as contact numbers 
			 GCDA 0   
			 (1) All 0870. (2) Two are 0845 and two are 0870. (3) One is 0845 and two are 0870.

Fares: Technology

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2007,  Official Report, column 194W, on fares: technology, when he expects to complete the consultation and discussions with suppliers.

Gillian Merron: We anticipate that we will complete the consultation and discussions with suppliers in August.

Galileo Project

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the  (a) final costs and  (b) completion date of the Galileo satellite system.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on 23 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1353-54W.

Galileo Project: Armed Forces

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of the number of military users there will be of the Galileo satellite system.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 22 May 2007
	 Galileo remains a civil programme under civil control. This has repeatedly been confirmed by the EU Transport Council; most recently in its October 2006 Council Conclusions. Therefore, no such assessment has been made. However, Galileo's open service, like that of GPS, can be accessed by all and therefore could be used by military forces.

Great Western Trains: Suicide

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) attempts at and  (b) acts of suicide took place on the First Great Western rail network in the West Country in the last (i) 12, (ii) 24 and (iii) 36 months; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, e-mail:
	general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Liverpool Lime Street Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects the planned improvements to Liverpool Lime Street railway station to be completed by the end of 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Yes. Work being undertaken to provide for improvements to Liverpool Lime Street station, funded by Merseytravel Passenger Transport Executive (Merseytravel) and delivered by Network Rail, is due for completion before the end of 2007.

Motorcycles: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were  (a) killed and  (b) seriously injured when riding a mini moto with 50 cc or less capacity in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 248W.

Motorcycles: Speed Limits

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations apply to the provision of speedometers on motorcycles registered for use on public roads in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: Regulations 35 and 36 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, EC Directive 2000/7/EC and UN-ECE Regulation 39 are the regulations which apply to the provision of speedometers on motorcycles registered for use on public roads in Great Britain.

Motorcycles: Speed Limits

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether speedometers fitted to motorcycles registered for use on public roads in the UK must be furnished with markings indicating speed in miles per hour; and whether provision must be made for those markings to be properly lit so as to be visible when the machines are driven during the hours of darkness and in low-light conditions.

Stephen Ladyman: Regulation 35 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, as amended requires that motorcycles first used on or after 1 April 1984 shall be fitted with a speedometer which is capable of showing speed in both miles per hour and kilometres per hour, either simultaneously or by the operation of a switch.
	Speedometers on vehicles must also meet either the requirements of EC Directive 2007/7/EC and UN-ECE Regulation 39 or be approved to meet the requirements of the Motor Cycles Etc (Single Vehicle Approval) Regulations 2003. These regulations require that the speedometer display must be clearly legible both by day and by night.

National Roads Telecommunications Services Project

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) purpose and  (b) budget is of the National Roads Telecommunications Services Project.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency's national telecommunications network has reached the end of its useful life, is costly to maintain, needs modernising and has insufficient capacity to meet its future known requirements. The National Roads Telecommunications Project (NRTS) has been developed to remedy this.
	The existing networks transmit messages between the Agency's regional control centres and 14,000 devices on the roadside such as CCTV cameras and variable messages signs. The 32 networks have been built over the last thirty years to the Agency's bespoke designs. The NRTS project is to upgrade those existing transmission networks and to combine them into one. As well as providing additional capacity, the new digital network provides resilience: using internet technology, messages will automatically re-route following any break in the network. The new technology is freely available in the market-place, making it easier to maintain.
	An end-to-end capability across the whole of England gives the network operator single point responsibility and a 10-year contract incentivises him to consider the whole life costs and to consider the whole of the network when planning improvements .
	The committed cost is 490 million.

Railways: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of  (a) peak and  (b) off peak (i) daily, (ii) return, (iii) weekly, (iv) monthly and (v) yearly tickets for an adult travelling between (A) Portsmouth and Waterloo via Eastleigh and (B) Southampton and Waterloo in each year since 1997.

Tom Harris: The Department does not have this information for each year since 1997. The following information is for January 2003, 2005, 2006, and January and May 2007.
	
		
			  Portsmouth-Waterloo via Eastleigh 
			   
			  As at January:  2003  2005  2006  2007  2007 
			 Standard Day Single 20.40 22.10 23.00 24.00 24.00 
			 Standard Day Return 39.10 42.30 44.00 46.80 46.80 
			 Super-off-peak Return n/a n/a n/a n/a 26.00 
			 Cheap Day Return 21.10 22.80 23.90 25.20 28.70 
			 Standard Weekly Season Ticket 76.70 83.10 87.30 91.10 91.10 
			 Standard Monthly Season Ticket 294.60 319.20 335.30 349.90 349.90 
			 Standard Annual Season Ticket 3,068.00 3,324.00 3,492.00 3,644.00 3,644.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Southampton-Waterloo 
			   
			  As at January :  2003  2005  2006  2007  2007 
			 Standard Day Single 23.30 25.30 26.30 27.40 27.40 
			 Standard Day Return 42.90 46.50 48.30 51.40 51.40 
			 Super-off-peak Return n/a n/a n/a n/a 28.00 
			 Cheap Day Return 22.70 24.60 25.80 27.20 34.60 
			 Standard Weekly Season Ticket 83.30 90.20 94.70 98.80 98.80 
			 Standard Monthly Season Ticket 319.90 346.40 363.70 379.40 379.40 
			 Standard Annual Season Ticket 3,332.00 3,608.00 3,788.00 3,952.00 3,952.00

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage increase in  (a) capacity and  (b) seats on trains from Milton Keynes are expected to result from the introduction of the new platform at that station.

Tom Harris: The enlarged station at Milton Keynes Central station enables a 33 per cent. increase in the number of long-distance services compared with a situation if the station had not been improved. Seating capacity is also likely to increase by a similar percentage.

Railways: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals for a direct shuttle to Central Milton Keynes utilising the two spare hourly fast track slots once the new platform is complete.

Tom Harris: There will be no spare capacity on the fast lines between Milton Keynes and London Euston, to provide the service sought by the hon. Member.

Road Traffic: Accidents

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library tables showing the traffic levels and accident rates for the Highways Agency Targeted Programme of Improvement road schemes in the last year for which figures are available; and what forecast has been made of likely levels of traffic and rates of accidents after construction works are completed.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is currently working on updating tables which will provide the information requested on traffic levels and road traffic accidents. This work is expected to be completed in advance of summer recess.
	I will write to the hon. Member with the information when it is available and place a copy of my letter, and the tables in the Libraries of the House.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) UK licence holders and  (b) foreign licence holders were involved in (i) fatal road traffic accidents, (ii) serious road traffic accidents and (iii) minor road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles were involved in  (a) fatal,  (b) serious and  (c) minor road traffic accidents in each year since 1997, broken down by number and proportion of categories of vehicle.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of vehicles in reported personal injury road accidents by accident severity broken down by number and proportion of vehicle type is given in the tables.
	
		
			  Number of vehicles involved in reported personal injury road accidents by vehicle type and accident severity, GB: 1997 to 2005 
			  Number of vehicles 
			  Accident severity  Vehicle type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Fatal Pedal cycle 199 167 187 141 145 141 124 144 158 
			  Motorcycle 570 570 617 695 673 694 783 659 620 
			  Car 3,979 3,714 3,634 3,516 3,654 3,728 3,773 3,520 3,465 
			  Bus or coach 129 136 139 136 164 125 119 121 108 
			  LGV 309 290 262 279 302 296 320 267 261 
			  HGV 572 595 617 565 588 570 533 472 520 
			  Other motor vehicle 63 81 83 91 74 87 86 80 62 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 14 11 5 6 12 4 12 10 8 
			  Total 5,836 5,564 5,547 5,433 5,614 5,647 5,753 5,276 5,204 
			
			 Serious Pedal cycle 3,596 3,318 3,164 2,796 2,678 2,442 2,420 2,272 2,339 
			  Motorcycle 6,263 6,294 6,674 7,119 7,094 7,226 7,319 6,400 6,234 
			  Car 44,162 41,627 39,428 38,071 37,091 35,835 33,139 30,896 28,664 
			  Bus or coach 1,387 1,351 1,344 1,313 1,269 1,267 1,200 1,116 1,023 
			  LGV 2,858 2,823 2,414 2,341 2,358 2,258 2,189 1,940 1,819 
			  HGV 2,615 2,482 2,468 2,468 2,322 2,122 1,923 1,670 1,648 
			  Other motor vehicle 599 582 664 683 515 627 477 616 381 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 85 62 79 82 79 74 85 80 63 
			  Total 61,575 58,561 56,267 54,903 53,441 51,862 48,763 45,001 42,176 
			
			 Slight Pedal cycle 21,405 19,938 20,131 18,118 16,674 14,949 14,928 14,668 14,542 
			  Motorcycle 18,378 18,650 19,831 21,422 22,317 21,583 21,421 19,798 19,016 
			  Car 290,783 292,453 286,804 288,259 281,155 275,005 263,021 257,426 249,681 
			  Bus or coach 9,725 10,275 10,405 10,284 10,088 9,389 9,620 9,336 8,857 
			  LGV 16,903 16,970 15,376 15,051 15,654 15,201 14,977 13,521 13,998 
			  HGV 11,198 11,449 12,106 12,161 11,903 10,788 10,717 10,374 9,952 
			  Other motor vehicle 2,704 2,830 3,535 3,777 2,662 3,472 2,481 4,091 2,464 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 312 279 318 337 340 288 250 295 254 
			  Total 371,466 372,980 368,678 369,607 361,018 350,816 337,506 329,568 318,856 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of vehicles involved in reported personal injury road accidents by vehicle typ e and severity of accident, GB:  1997 to 2005 
			  Percentage of vehicles 
			  Severity  Vehicle type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Fatal Pedal cycle 3.4 3.0 3.4 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.7 3.0 
			  Motorcycle 9.8 10.2 11.1 12.8 12.0 12.3 13.6 12.5 11.9 
			  Car 68.2 66.8 65.5 64.7 65.1 66.0 65.6 66.7 66.6 
			  Bus or coach 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.9 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.1 
			  LGV 5.3 5.2 4.7 5.1 5.4 5.2 5.6 5.1 5.0 
			  HGV 9.8 10.7 11.1 10.4 10.5 10.1 9.3 8.9 10.0 
			  Other motor vehicle 1.1 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.2 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 
			  Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			
			 Serious Pedal cycle 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.1 5.0 4.7 5.0 5.0 5.5 
			  Motorcycle 10.2 10.7 11.9 13.0 13.3 13.9 15.0 14.2 14.8 
			  Car 71.7 71.1 70.1 69.3 69.4 69.1 68.0 68.7 68.0 
			  Bus or coach 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.4 
			  LGV 4.6 4.8 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.3 
			  HGV 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.3 4.1 3.9 3.7 3.9 
			  Other motor vehicle 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.4 0.9 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 
			  Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			
			 Slight Pedal cycle 5.8 5.3 5.5 4.9 4.6 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 
			  Motorcycle 4.9 5.0 5.4 5.8 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.0 
			  Car 78.3 78.4 77.8 78.0 77.9 78.4 77.9 78.1 78.3 
			  Bus or coach 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.8 2.8 
			  LGV 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.1 4.4 
			  HGV 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.1 
			  Other motor vehicle 0.7 0.8 1.0 1.0 0.7 1.0 0.7 1.2 0.8 
			  Other non-motor vehicle 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			  Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
		
	
	continued

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of  (a) fatal,  (b) serious and  (c) minor road traffic accidents involved a foreign-registered car in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number and percentage of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one foreign registered car in 2005 is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one foreign registered car, GB: 2005 
			  Accident severity  Number of accidents  Percentage of all reported accidents 
			 Fatal 15 0.5 
			 Serious 84 0.3 
			 Slight 730 0.4 
		
	
	This information is not available for years prior to 2005.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of people aged  (a) 17 to 23,  (b) 24 to 29,  (c) 30 to 39,  (d) 40 to 49,  (e) 50 to 59,  (f) 60 to 69,  (g) 70 to 79,  (h) 80 to 89 and (i) over 90 years were involved in (i) minor accidents, (ii) serious and (iii) fatal road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of population involved in reported personal injury road accidents, by age and severity: GB 1997 to 2005 
			  Percentage of population( 1) 
			Age 
			   Severity  17 to 23  24 to 29  30 to 39  40 to 49  50 to 59  60 to 69  70 to 79  80 to 89  90 and over 
			 1997 Fatal 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.18 0.12 0.09 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.06 0.03 
			  Slight 1.20 0.86 0.62 0.43 0.33 0.24 0.21 0.18 0.09 
			
			 1998 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.17 0.11 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.03 
			  Slight 1.17 0.86 0.63 0.44 0.33 0.24 0.21 0.18 0.10 
			
			 1999 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.15 0.10 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.03 
			  Slight 1.11 0.84 0.63 0.44 0.33 0.24 0.20 0.18 0.10 
			
			 2000 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.15 0.10 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.03 
			  Slight 1.10 0.83 0.64 0.45 0.34 0.24 0.20 0.17 0.09 
			
			 2001 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.15 0.10 0.08 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.03 
			  Slight 1.07 0.79 0.62 0.45 0.32 0.24 0.20 0.18 0.10 
			
			 2002 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.07 
			  Serious 0.15 0.10 0.07 0.06 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.02 
			  Slight 1.05 0.76 0.60 0.44 0.32 0.23 0.20 0.17 0.10 
			
			 2003 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.14 0.09 0.07 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.04 0.04 0.02 
			  Slight 0.99 0.73 0.57 0.43 0.30 0.23 0.19 0.17 0.10 
			
			 2004 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.13 0.08 0.06 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.03 0.04 0.02 
			  Slight 0.97 0.70 0.54 0.41 0.30 0.21 0.18 0.17 0.09 
			
			 2005 Fatal 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 0.01 
			  Serious 0.12 0.07 0.06 0.05 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 0.03 
			  Slight 0.94 0.68 0.52 0.40 0.29 0.20 0.17 0.16 0.09 
			 (1) 10.00 per cent. indicates that less than 0.005 per cent. of the age group were involved in accidents of the given severity. 
		
	
	The percentages are estimated by dividing the total number of reported casualties in each age group by the GB population estimate for 2005. Casualties will be counted more than once if they are in more than one accident.

Roads: Accidents

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) fatal, (b) serious and  (c) minor road traffic accidents were recorded in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported personal injury road accidents by severity for each year since 1997 is given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of accidents by severity, GB: 1997-2005 
			   Fatal  Serious  Slight  All severities 
			 1997 3,298 36,330 200,659 240,287 
			 1998 3,137 34,633 201,153 238,923 
			 1999 3,138 33,267 198,643 235,048 
			 2000 3,108 32,499 198,122 233,729 
			 2001 3,176 31,588 194,250 229,014 
			 2002 3,124 30,521 188,106 221,751 
			 2003 3,247 28,913 181,870 214,030 
			 2004 2,978 26,748 177,684 207,410 
			 2005 2,913 25,029 170,793 198,735

Roads: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from  (a) individuals and  (b) businesses in the London borough of Bexley on road pricing.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has received a considerable number of representations about road pricing. Many of these were by e-mail, and did not give the sender's geographical address.

Roads: Horses

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents were reported involving  (a) horses and  (b) horse riders in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one ridden horse in each of the last three years for which information is available, is given in the table.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one ridden horse, GB: 2003-05 
			   Number of accidents 
			 2003 153 
			 2004 138 
			 2005 136 
		
	
	Reported personal injury road accidents involving horses without riders are not separately identifiable.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cost increases he approved for Government-funded road schemes in the Local Transport Plans programme in each year since 2000.

Gillian Merron: Details of local authority major Road schemes that have had cost increases approved between 2000 and July 2006 are available in Appendix Three of the National Audit Office reportDepartment for Transport: Estimating and Monitoring the Costs of Building Roads in Englandpublished on 15 March 2007. A copy of the report can be downloaded from the following website link:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/060732l.pdf
	Since July 2006, we have also approved cost increases on the following local major road schemes:
	Rugby Western Relief Road
	Owen Street Level Crossing Relief Road
	Sheffield Northern Inner Relief Road
	Sunderland Southern Radial Route
	Glasshoughton Coalfields Link Road
	Brierley Hill Access Network
	M4 Junction 11/Mereoak Roundabout
	Hemsworth to A1 Link Road
	A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn Link Road
	Taunton Third Way and Northern Inner Distributor Road
	Carlisle Northern Development Route.

Roads: Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations have been received by his Department from local authorities for road safety improvements  (a) in Elkesley village,  (b) on the A57 in Worksop and  (c) on the A620 in Bassetlaw.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department is not aware that it has any current road safety improvement representations from local authorities in respect of Elkesley village, the A57 Worksop or the A620 Bassetlaw. The Highways Agency continues its work to develop improvements for access to Elkesley village and is in regular touch with the Local Highway Authority on this matter.

Transport

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average  (a) number and  (b) distance of trips as calculated by the National Travel Survey was by (i) car driver, (ii) car passenger, (iii) bus passenger, (iv) pedestrian and (v) other modes of transport user, broken down by (A) reasons for journey, (B) sex and (C) age, in the latest three-year period for which results are available.

Gillian Merron: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Transport: Costs

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the percentage change in real terms of the cost of travelling by  (a) private car,  (b) bus and  (c) train since 1997.

Gillian Merron: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1701W.

Transport: North East Region

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the transport infrastructure of the  (a) north-east region,  (b) Tees Valley sub-region and  (c) Hartlepool constituency for the purpose of (i) facilitating economic growth, (ii) reducing environmental damage and (iii) widening access to services and opportunities to the population.

Gillian Merron: On 6 July 2006 the Secretary of State confirmed 16 major road and public transport schemes in the north-east that we expected to fund from regional funding allocations (RFA) between 2006-07 and 2008-09. Three of them are located in the Tees Valley.
	Also included was an indicative list of three schemes that can be progressed for delivery in the remaining RFA years, from 2009-10 to 2015-16. Elements of the Tees Valley bus network scheme are located in Hartlepool. Funding will, of course, be subject to schemes securing all necessary statutory powers, demonstrating sufficient value for money, and being supported by a satisfactory business case.
	Decision letters for local transport plans covering the period 2007 to 2011 were issued last December. The north-east authorities were awarded a total of 141.382 million to fund capital improvements. The proportion allocated to the Tees Valley authorities is 32.079 million, including 4.459 million to Hartlepool borough council.
	In addition, the Government are supporting both Durham county council (400,000) and the Tyne and Wear authorities (1.7 million) with pump-priming funding to support the development of Transport Innovation Fund (TIP) packages that address local congestion problems by combining demand management, including road pricing, with better public transport.
	Also, the Department has regular discussions with the Highways Agency about all proposed improvement schemes for the A1 in the north-east and the Secretary of State has recently agreed that they should continue the development work on the A1 Newcastle/Gateshead western bypass scheme.
	All of the transport initiatives are being developed with a view to delivering the Government's shared agenda of tackling congestion, delivering improved accessibility, providing safer roads and better air quality, as well as tackling other quality of life issues. Together, these objectives would contribute to facilitating economic growth, reducing environmental damage and widening access to services and opportunities to the population.

Wolverton Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why a deadline has been set on when the grant of 400,000 for the upgrade of Wolverton station must be spent.

Tom Harris: The deadline for the use of grants, provided under the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF), was one of the conditions made clear at the start of the process, taking account of the overall availability of Government support, in each financial year, for transport related projects.

Wolverton Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the recent reduction in funding for the upgrade of station facilities at Wolverton station will have on the project.

Tom Harris: There has been no reduction in funding. The allocation of funding within the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) grant was matter for Milton Keynes council to determine in conjunction with Network Rail.

Wolverton Station: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons were for the reduction in funds for the planned upgrade of Wolverton station.

Tom Harris: There has been no reduction in funding. The allocation of funds awarded under a bid, from the Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF), for Milton Keynes Central and Wolverton stations was the responsibility of Milton Keynes council.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking to stop the production of heroin in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Mr. McCartney) gave to the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mark Williams) on 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 908W.

Australia: Entry Clearances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) Australian and  (b) New Zealand nationals successfully applied for UK tourist visas in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: Australian and New Zealand nationals do not need visas to enter the UK as visitors.

BBC External Services

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money the BBC World Service spent on services in each language in which it broadcasts  (a) from her Department's precept and  (b) in total in each of the last three financial years.

Geoff Hoon: BBC World Service (BBCWS) analysis of its spending for each language service in financial year (FY) 2006-07 is set out below. Foreign and Commonwealth Office grant-in-aid funds all BBCWS language services. BBCWS is unable to present comparable data for the previous years requested by the hon. Member because of changes in accounting procedures, specifically the way its central costs are allocated. To provide figures that are both meaningful and comparable would require a comprehensive reworking of its financial information for previous years. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  BBCWS analysis of operating grant-in-aid 2006-07 
			million 
			  Africa and Middle East 
			 French For Africa 1.8 
			 African English 3.3 
			 Great Lakes 0.4 
			 Hausa Service 0.9 
			 Portuguese 0.7 
			 Somali 0.7 
			 Swahili 1.0 
			 Arabic (TV budget shown separately) 8.9 
			  Americas and Europe 
			 Brazilian 1.7 
			 Latin American 3.8 
			 Caribbean 0.4 
			 Albanian 1.1 
			 Romanian 1.3 
			 Macedonian 0.4 
			 Serbian 1.1 
			 Turkish 1.0 
			 Ukrainian 1.2 
			 Russian 4.6 
			   
			  Asia Pacific 
			 Chinese 3.2 
			 Bengali 0.9 
			 Hindi 1.6 
			 Nepali 0.3 
			 Sinhala 0.3 
			 Tamil 0.3 
			 Urdu 3.0 
			 Burmese 0.7 
			 Indonesian 1.2 
			 Vietnamese 0.7 
			 Uzbek 0.6 
			 Azeri 0.6 
			 Kazakh 0.1 
			 Kyrgyz 0.2 
			 Persian/Pashto 5.8 
			 Total 53.7 
			   
			 Arabic TV (rising to 19 million in FY 2007-08) 9.0 
			   
			 English production, presentation and commissioning 48.7 
			 Transmission 37.8 
			 New Media 8.5 
			 Finance, Property and provisions (including redundancy) 26.1 
			 Marketing 6.2 
			 Technology support 13.3 
			 HR and Training 4.4 
			 Direction, Strategy and other 4.3 
			   
			 Total expenditure 212.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Grant-in-aid 2006-07 
			   million 
			   Operating  Capital  Total 
			 Grant in aid 2005-06 208.1 31 239.1 
			 Additional funding from SR2004 6.5 0 6.5 
			 Vires from capital (ex 31 million total capital grant) 3.5 -3.5 0.0 
			 BBC Monitoring Transfer to Cabinet Office -6.1 0 -6.1 
			  212.0 27.5 239.5

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by her Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Annual expenditure on external consultants is published in the Department's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The vast majority of work undertaken for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by consultants is associated with its major Information Communication Technology and Estate construction programmes.
	I also refer the right. hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 16 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 893-94W; and the reply my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 25 May 2005,  Official Report, column 138W.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect she expects the outsourcing of her Department's language teaching operation to have on costs.

Geoff Hoon: We anticipate savings of 1.5 million per annum.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how her Department will determine which language providers to use under the new language teaching business model.

Geoff Hoon: A procurement team will oversee the purchasing of language training from new suppliers in accordance with Government guidelines during the tendering and evaluation process. Our objective is to set up a framework agreement with at least two possible suppliers for each foreign language. Maintaining a high standard of language training will be a priority.
	To ensure high quality we will build into the contract specification rigorous standards and processes, covering academic calibre of staff; teaching methodology; range and depth of programmes; external accreditation and recognition of widely known benchmark standards; and customer-focused administrative and learning resource support. Quality assurance mechanisms will monitor that standards are being met, including through briefing, training and performance management of teachers and continuous assessment of students.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what evidential basis she reached the conclusion that the language teaching function would be uneconomic for her Department to operate.

Geoff Hoon: As preparation for its move towards Trading Fund status, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services carried out a rigorous analysis of its business and competitive environment, to identify its strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats it faces as it becomes a commercially-focused organisation. This, taken together with the FCO's own policy review of language training, which was carried out in close consultation with a variety of stakeholders at all levels across the FCO, has informed us that:
	the business demand for language training is changing from one-to-one to group training, a much more effective way of delivering tuition, involving four hours per day direct teaching time;
	demand for all languages fluctuates considerably;
	the recommended productivity of teaching staff (percentage of time spent teaching as opposed to other tasks e.g. lesson and exam preparation, producing materials, administration, pastoral care and liaising with overseas centres) is between 45 and 50 per cent. Very few languages attain this level and productivity is likely to fall below 30 per cent. in most languages with the move to group classes and more in-country training;
	a flexible hours and agency model operating on a pay per use basis achieves good productivity rates. Most external providers employ this model because of the fluctuations in demand;
	FCO language training costs on average 15-40 per cent. more than other providers;
	40 per cent. of our existing teaching for priority languages is currently out-sourced despite our large in-house teaching staff; and
	performance by exam results indicates that the quality of teaching is not enhanced by having a permanent workforce.
	For all of these reasons, we consider that not only are there advantages in cost terms of moving to a new business model, but there are also advantages to be gained in terms of flexibility and quality of service.

Departments: Languages

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many departmental staff were trained in a foreign language in each of the last three years for which figures are available; in how many languages training was available in each year; and what proportion of training was carried out overseas in each year.

Geoff Hoon: The number of staff receiving language training was:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of staff 
			 2006-07 252 
			 2005-06 386 
			 2004-05 405 
		
	
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has permanent teachers in 14 languages:
	Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish.
	The FCO also employs lecturers on a flexible basis in a further 27 languages:
	Arabic, Bulgarian, Bosnian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
	The FCO had no in-house teaching capability in eight of the 22 FCO priority languages;
	Pashtu, Dari, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Burmese, Urdu, Cantonese and Thai: training in these languages was outsourced.
	The proportion of training carried out overseas varies according to the difficulty of the language. Easier languages will normally include a period of around four weeks in-country; the most difficult languages have one year training in the UK and one year training in-country.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in her Department's balance sheet  (a) is in 2007 and  (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has one private finance initiative (PFI) project included in its balance sheetour embassy in Berlin. The total capital value reported in HM Treasury's list of signed PFI projects is 17.1 million.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by her Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has two private finance initiative projects for which it has made the following payments from revenue budgets in the last five years, as reported in the HM Treasury list of signed deals.
	
		
			million 
			 2002-03 30.44 
			 2003-04 34.40 
			 2004-05 35.57 
			 2005-06 36.92 
			 2006-07 (1)34.39 
			 (1 )Estimated.

Embassies: Telephone Services

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what revenue was received by her Department from the telephone inquiries lines at British embassies handled by Abtran in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) received no income from the telephone inquiry lines handled by Abtran Ltd in the last 12 months. The service the company provides is self-funding and the surplus they make enables them to run it at no cost to the FCO.

Entry Clearances

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she expects UK Visas to respond to the letter from Mr Richard Helgesen (ref GV100/115242/PC).

Kim Howells: UK Visas sent an initial response to Mr Richard Helgesen's letter on 14 May. The letter explained that they need to make further enquiries before they can provide Mr Helgesen with a full reply.

European Council

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether proceedings in the European Council are sound recorded on tape.

Geoff Hoon: Proceedings in the European Council are not recorded on tape. The presidency conclusions of the European Council are made public by the Council Secretariat and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister describes the processes to Parliament.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to meet the Gibraltar Chief Minister in the next 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: There are currently no plans for either my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary or myself to meet the Chief Minister. Ministerial diaries and engagements are kept under constant review.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times she has met the Chief Minister of Gibraltar in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not met the Chief Minister in the last 12 months. I met the Chief Minister most recently on the occasion of the Gibraltar day reception in the City of London in October 2006, and have regular contact with him.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she plans to attend National Day in Gibraltar in September 2007.

Geoff Hoon: Foreign travel and engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are not often possible until very shortly before the day of travel.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure that Gibraltar is effectively represented within the EU.

Geoff Hoon: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments work closely with the Government of Gibraltar to promote and defend Gibraltar's rights and interests within the EU, often (but not exclusively) through active interventions by the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to ensure that Gibraltar has the same access to EU funding as other EU regions.

Geoff Hoon: Gibraltar has its own constitutional self-government and separate economy. It is a territory for whose external affairs a member state is responsible in accordance with Article 299(4) of the Treaty establishing the European Community. Therefore, Gibraltar is entitled to receive EU structural funds from the UK member state's allocation.
	Gibraltar's allocation of Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective funding was based on the same formulas as were applied to the nine English Regions. Allocations under the Co-operation objective are determined by a formula set out in the structural funds general regulations.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the government of Gibraltar received from the European Union in each of the past five years.

Geoff Hoon: Gibraltar has received the following funds from the European Union over the past five years:
	
		
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Total 
			 Objective 2 The European Regional Development Fund (Regional Development) 37,951.51 927,980.70 242,942.74 1,453,210.04 1,099,544.22 3,761,629.21 
			 Objective 3 European Social Fund (Social Funds) 7,879.00 445,103.00 22,901.00 1,386,016.00 384,395.00 2,246,294.00 
			 Interreg IIIA (Gibraltar /Morocco) 18,535.78 2,025.23 0.00 32,865.04 9,041.78 62,467.83 
			 Total 64,366.29 1,375,108.93 265,843.74 2,872,091.08 1,492,981.00 6,070,391.04

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the new air terminal development on the relationship between Spain and Gibraltar.

Geoff Hoon: The construction of a new airport terminal by the Gibraltar Government forms part of the arrangements agreed in the Cordoba Ministerial Statement on Gibraltar airport on 18 September 2006 under the Trilateral Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar.
	The Cordoba trilateral agreements, including the proposed new terminal, have already brought significant benefits, including more connections from Gibraltar airport, greatly improved border flows, recognition of Gibraltar's international dialling code and mobile roaming, as well as a settlement of the long-standing issue of the pensions of former Spanish workers in Gibraltar. Overall, this has brought a considerable improvement in the relationship between Spain and Gibraltar.

Gibraltar: Territorial Waters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) Spanish and  (b) Gibraltarian counterparts on Gibraltar's sovereign territorial waters.

Geoff Hoon: Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor I have had discussions with our Spanish counterparts or the Government of Gibraltar on this matter.

Gulf War

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1354, on the Gulf war, whether any assessment has been made of the administration system used for the UN Compensation Commission Iraq compensation awards.

Kim Howells: The UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) claims processing procedures were prescribed by the Security Council and were further elaborated by the Governing Council in a number of decisions. The procedures were implemented by panels of Commissioners whose recommendations for awards were approved by the UNCC's Governing Council. Further details of the claims processing procedures can be found at the UNCC's website:
	http://www.unog.ch/uncc/.
	The Government have not made any formal assessment of the administration system used by the UNCC. However, we understand that overpayments were made for a variety of reasons such as claims being submitted twice by the same applicant. Other claims were paid out twice to the same claimant because they featured in different claims categories due to administrative errors at the UNCC.

Gulf War

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1354, on the Gulf war, what factors informed the decision to use Iraqi oil revenues to pay for UN Compensation Commission-approved compensation awards; and when that decision was taken.

Kim Howells: The UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) was established in 1991 by Security Council Resolution 687 to process claims and pay compensation for losses suffered as a result of the 1990 Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait.
	Currently 5 per cent. of the proceeds of Iraq's oil export revenues are paid into the Compensation Fund. The use of these oil revenues was recommended by the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council in 1991 as the method by which Iraq should pay compensation.

Gulf War

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1354, on the Gulf war, what explanation has been given by the UN Compensation Commission for errors made in the calculation and payment of compensation relating to Iraq.

Kim Howells: In 2006 the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) conducted an internal investigation aimed at identifying potential overpayments resulting from multiple or overlapping claims.
	We understand that the overpayments occurred for a variety of reasons. Some resulted from claims that were erroneously submitted twice by the same claimant. Other claims were paid out twice to the same claimant because they featured in different claims categories due to administrative errors at the UNCC.

Gulf War

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1354, on the Gulf war, what the total amount in dispute is on the UN Compensation Commission awards which have been approved but have not been paid or are being reclaimed.

Kim Howells: Corrections made as a result of the investigation into overpayments totalled US$ 80.3 million of which US$ 72.7 million remains still to be recovered. Approximately US$ 39 million of this sum will be recoverable by way of set-offs against Government awards not yet paid out. 113 UK claimants were overpaid a total of US$ 391,000.

Iraq: International Conferences

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the recent International Conference on Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I warmly welcome the successful launch of the International Compact and the expanded Iraq neighbours conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on 3-4 May.
	The launch of the International Compact was an important opportunity for the Government of Iraq to set out its reform agenda. Over 60 countries were represented and offered their support. We now look forward to the UN and Government of Iraq establishing a mechanism to monitor progress.
	The neighbours conference was a significant step in building Iraq's relationship with its neighbours. Participants agreed that there should be a further ministerial in Istanbul; working groups to explore co-ordination and co-operation on the problem of refugees, security and borders, and fuel imports; and, subject to approval by the Government of Iraq, the establishment of a group of senior officials to monitor progress. We will encourage all participants to use these forums constructively and to demonstrate tangible support for the Government of Iraq.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1712W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, how many requests there have been for assistance from British overseas posts by Iraqi nationals who have left Iraq after threats of violence because of their work as interpreters with the British Army; and how many of these requests have been agreed to.

Kim Howells: We are aware of having received two requests for assistance on behalf of three Iraqi nationals who left Iraq after threats of violence because of their work as interpreters with the British Army (one joint letter received in our embassy in Damascus, and one request received in our embassy in Cairo). However, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold a central record of this information. To answer this question accurately officials would need to contact all of our overseas posts, which would incur disproportionate cost.
	As I said in my response to my hon. Friend on 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 914W, all requests for assistance are dealt with on a case by case basis, taking account of individual circumstances.

Iraq: Security Guards

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many contraventions of Coalition Provisional Authority memorandum number 17 by private military companies operating in Iraq there were in each year since it came into force, broken down by type of contravention;
	(2)  how many individuals in Iraq were killed by employees of  (a) UK-registered and  (b) other private military companies in each year since the invasion.

Kim Howells: holding answer 22 May 2007
	We keep records only of incidents involving private military security companies (PMSCs) working directly for the Government. We do not keep records of incidents involving other UK mainland registered companies or foreign companies working in Iraq.
	The PMSCs which operate or have operated for the Government in Iraq (ArmorGroup, GardaWorld and Control Risks Group) have been responsible for no contraventions of Coalition Provisional Authority memorandum number 17. There has been one Iraqi fatality as a result of a road traffic accident in Erbil on 8 March. A pedestrian was struck by a PMSC vehicle while crossing a busy road in heavy traffic. The incident was fully investigated by the local authorities and no charges were bought.

Iraq: Trade Unions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the raids on 23 and 25 February by US and Iraqi forces on the head offices of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers; what representations she has made on the recognition of trade union rights in Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: As stated in my answer to my hon. Friend on 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1261W, the raids on the offices of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers were carried out by Iraqi security forces with the backing of multi-national forces as part of ongoing security operations. In response to my hon. Friend's question, officials have raised the issue with the multi-national forces asking for further information about the raids.
	We regard the right to form free and fair trades unions as fundamental. We remain deeply concerned about constraints on forming and financing of trades unions implied by Decree 8750 and Law 150 and will continue to lobby the Government of Iraq on this.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Compensation

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her estimate is of the outstanding amount of interest accrued by delays in the payment by the UN Compensation Commission of compensation relating to the detention of UK nationals in Iraq during the first Gulf war.

Kim Howells: A decision was taken at the 55th session of the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) Governing Council in March 2005 that interest would not be paid by the UNCC to claimants on top of their principal awards. This decision was made for a variety of reasons, including the fact that assumptions made about the capacity of the Compensation Fund (its revenue generated from Iraqi petroleum export earnings) did not materialise which resulted in inadequate funds being available, and the estimated projection that payment of all principal awards would not be completed until 2045.
	The decision was taken against the background of the need for Iraqi oil proceeds to be used towards reconstruction of Iraq. Payment of interest would place an additional and unacceptable financial burden on the Iraqi people.
	No outstanding interest therefore accrued in the period between determination and payment of awards.
	A letter was sent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to all UK claimants in March 2005 explaining the decision taken on the question of interest by the Governing Council.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Compensation

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will raise the issue of interest accrued during delays in the payment by the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) of compensation relating to detention of UK nationals in Iraq during the first Gulf war at the next meeting of the UNCC's Governing Council.

Kim Howells: A decision has already been taken by the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) Governing Council at its 55th session in March 2005 that interest will not be paid by the UNCC to claimants on top of their principal awards. This decision was made for a variety of reasons, including the fact that assumptions made about the capacity of the Compensation Fund (its revenue generated from Iraqi petroleum exports earnings) did not materialise, which resulted in inadequate funds being available, and the estimated projection that payment of all principal awards would not be completed until 2045.
	The decision was taken against the background of the need for Iraqi oil proceeds to be used towards reconstruction of Iraq. Payment of interest would place an additional and unacceptable financial burden on the Iraqi people.
	A letter was sent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to all UK claimants in March 2005 explaining the decision taken on the question of interest by the Governing Council.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Compensation

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many payments to UK nationals from the UN Compensation Commission relating to detention in Iraq during the first Gulf war have been subject to delay; and what the average length of this delay was.

Kim Howells: Individuals claims had to be filed with the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) by 1 January 1995; corporate and government claims by 1 January 1996. 5,000 UK claimants duly received awards from the UNCC totalling US$ 428 million.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was initially unable to locate 47 of the successful UK claimants on the basis of information provided by the UNCC. However, following renewed efforts in 2006, we subsequently located 26 of the 47 and are currently in the process of finalising the payment of their outstanding awards.
	To calculate the average time between the lodging of the 5,000 UK claims and the payments (made in instalments) could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.

Iraq-Kuwait Conflict: Compensation

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has held with the UN on  (a) payments to UK nationals relating to their detention in Iraq during the first Gulf war from the UN Compensation Commission which were delayed and  (b) the interest accrued during these delays.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with the UN about delayed payments to UK nationals from the UN Compensation Commission relating to their detention in Iraq, and the interest accrued.
	We are aware, however, that in some cases claimants may face difficulties in making such repayments, and we will handle these with due concern for their welfare.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Florida state hearings on Krishna Maharaj that he be granted a clemency hearing or a new trial.

Ian McCartney: Mr. Maharaj has a part-hearing scheduled today before the aides to the Florida Clemency Board. A second part of the hearing will be heard in August when Mr. Maharaj's lawyer will put forward his case. An official from our consulate in Orlando will be attending that later hearing. Consular officials only attend court hearings in exceptional circumstances such as these. I have written to the Governor of Florida in support of Mr. Maharaj's clemency plea.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times officials from her Department have  (a) met and  (b) made representations on behalf of Krishna Maharaj.

Ian McCartney: Officials from our consulate in Orlando have met with Mr. Maharaj on several occasions since 2002 when he was re-sentenced to life imprisonment. The most recent of these visits was made by our consul on 19 January. Mr. Maharaj and his wife are in frequent contact with our consular officials in Orlando both by letter and telephone.
	Since 2002, we have submitted three  amicus curiae briefs to the US courts on a point of international law in Mr. Maharaj's case. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office both here and overseas are following this case very closely, and representations at official level are made at every appropriate opportunity. We continue to monitor the case in consultation with Mr. Maharaj's legal representatives in the US and UK.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information she has on the date of the next hearing on the application for clemency on behalf of Krishna Maharaj; and if she will arrange for a representative of her Department to be present at the hearing.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today (UIN 139180).

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Minister from her Department last spoke with Paul Lomas of Freshfields and the hon. Member for Worthing, West concerning the applications for a clemency hearing or a new trial of Krishna Maharaj

Ian McCartney: I met the hon. Member and members of the law firm, Freshfields, on 2 October 2006 to discuss supporting Mr. Maharaj's plea for clemency.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if during his forthcoming visit to Sri Lanka the Minister of State (Middle East) will meet the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have no plans at present to meet representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 2 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1551-57 in which I set out the UK's approach to the peace process in Sri Lanka.

Migrant Workers: Foreign Students

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many foreign students received visas to enter the United Kingdom to work as seasonal workers in agriculture in each of the last 10 years, broken down by nation and region of origin; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The following table displays the number of visas issued to non-EU students who applied to enter the United Kingdom to work as seasonal agricultural workers, from 2002 to 2006. The results are broken down according to the location of our missions overseas (country and region). There are no available reliable UK Visas statistics for applications made prior to 2002.
	
		
			  Region  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Australia and South Pacific 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Central Europe and former Soviet Union 416 914 2,162 10307 14,248 
			 Albania 0 0 110 106 46 
			 Armenia 0 0 7 31 73 
			 Bulgaria 1 0 0 2,301 3,362 
			 Belarus 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Croatia 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Czech Republic 10 19 8 5 1 
			 Estonia 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Georgia 0 0 67 110 85 
			 Hungary 0 0 5 0 2 
			 Kazakhstan 19 0 3 1 0 
			 Latvia 16 3 1 0 1 
			 Lithuania 0 3 0 2 0 
			 Macedonia 97 56 55 54 125 
			 Moldova 0 0 40 911 857 
			 Romania 243 0 0 317 1,940 
			 Russia 30 753 1,838 2,347 2,548 
			 Serbia 0 0 21 44 88 
			 Slovakia 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Turkmenistan 0 0 6 14 6 
			 Ukraine 0 80 0 4,060 5,112 
			   
			 Equatorial Africa 1 0 0 8 19 
			 Ghana 1 0 0 7 19 
			 Nigeria 0 0 0 1 0 
			   
			 Far East 41 86 5 1 0 
			 China 41 41 0 0 0 
			 Mongolia 0 45 5 1 0 
			   
			 Latin America 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Middle East 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 North America 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 North and North East Africa 2 0 0 2 2 
			 Egypt 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Tunisia 2 0 0 2 0 
			   
			 South Asia 4 46 30 0 0 
			 India 4 46 30 0 0 
			   
			 South East Asia 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Southern Africa 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Southern Europe 52 120 19 68 24 
			 Cyprus 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Portugal 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Turkey 51 120 18 68 24 
			   
			 West Indies and Atlantic 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Western Europe 0 0 1 3 1 
			 Austria 0 0 1 2 0 
			 Germany 0 0 0 1 1 
			   
			 Total 516 1,166 2,217 10,389 14,294 
			  Note: UK Visas makes every effort to ensure that statistics produced from our 'Central Reference System' are accurate. However, the complexity of our global business, including technical failures or occasional inconsistencies in data entry across any of over 150 offices, means we cannot guarantee 100 per cent. accuracy.  Source: CRS 2002-03 data sourced on: 17 May 2007 2004-06 data sourced on: 16 May 2007

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she received from other states party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the preparatory committee meeting for the next review conference of the Treaty on the UK's compliance with Article VI of the Treaty.

Kim Howells: No formal representations were made to the UK by other states party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the NPT preparatory committee on compliance by the UK with Article VI of the Treaty. Of the many national and group statements made to the plenary session of the PrepCom, only Iran's directly questioned the UK's compliance with Article VI.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which officials and ministers comprise the United Kingdom delegation to the prepatory committee to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference 2010; if she will publish on her Departmental web site all speeches made by the United Kingdom to the Committee in Vienna and list their URLs; and what support was provided by her Department to non-governmental organisations to attend the committee between 30 April and 11 May.

Kim Howells: The UK delegation was led by John Duncan, the United Kingdom Ambassador for multilateral Arms Control and Disarmament in Geneva. He was accompanied by officials and experts from our mission in Geneva, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry and Southampton University. The statements made by the United Kingdom at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty PrepCom will soon be published on the website of the UK Disarmament Mission in Geneva at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec=Pagecid=1061396426063.
	They are also available on the UN website at:
	http://www.un.org/NPT2010/statements/UK_30_04_pm.pdf.
	The UK delegation met with UK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the FCO on 3 April and had further formal and informal discussions throughout the course of the PrepCom. No NGOs sought or received financial support from the FCO to attend this meeting.

Pakistan

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on recent disturbances in Karachi; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our high commission in Islamabad has reported that two large rallies took place in Karachi on 12 May. There were violent clashes between protestors resulting in an estimated 41 fatalities. There were renewed clashes in Karachi on 13 May. This led to further casualties, although numbers are unconfirmed. We condemn this violence and urge restraint on all parties. We will continue to watch the situation closely.

Russia: Estonia

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of Russia's action in relation to Estonia since the relocation of the Russian war memorial statue; and what representation she has made to the Russian authorities on this subject.

Geoff Hoon: The Government recognise the right of the Estonian Government to relocate war memorials and war graves and see this as an internal matter for Estonia. My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was briefed on Estonian-Russian relations by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 14 May. Russian-Estonian relations were discussed at the EU-Russia Summit on 18 May.
	The Government support the remarks made by the president of the EU Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, at the EU-Russia summit that the EU is based on principles of solidarity and difficulties for one member state constitute a difficulty for the entire EU. We are fully supportive of both the EU presidency statement of 2 May and the NATO statement of 3 May, which both expressed grave concern over the safety of the Estonian Embassy and its staff in Russia and urged Russia to address the dispute through dialogue.

Spain: HMS Sussex

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the location of the wreck thought to be HMS Sussex was discussed with the Spanish Government at talks in Gibraltar on 26 March 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The issue was touched on at the end of the meeting of the trilateral forum in Gibraltar on 26 March. As regards the Sussex's location, I refer the hon. Member to the answer he was given by my right hon. Friend the then Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander, on 14 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1902W.

Sri Lanka: Peace Negotiations

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make it her policy to seek United Nations backing for any agreement between the Tamil Tiger Peace Co-ordinating body and the Sri Lankan Government; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We support the need for a negotiated settlement of the conflict and the Norwegian Government's position as facilitator of the peace process. We believe that strong international support, possibly including that of the UN, for a peace settlement in Sri Lanka would be essential. This would need to be considered carefully by UN member states should these circumstances occur.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the recent treatment of students and staff at Jaffria university, Sri Lanka, by the Sri Lankan army; and what discussions she has had  (a) with the Sri Lankan Government and  (b) at a European level on the behaviour of the Sri Lankan army towards civilians.

Kim Howells: We are aware of the reports of harassment on the campus of Jaffria university and of allegations of the involvement of paramilitaries and members of the Sri Lankan armed forces in these incidents. Continuing reports of abductions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Sri Lanka are a matter of serious concern.
	As I told the House on 2 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1551-1557 during the debate on Sri Lanka, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have made the UK position clear to the Government of Sri Lanka. There has to be an end to the culture of impunity. Those responsible for human rights violations should be brought to justice. We have welcomed the establishment of a President's Commission and of an Eminent Persons' Group to observe the work of the Commission. We shall continue to raise our concerns with the Sri Lankan Government. At the same time, we shall continue to highlight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's shameful human rights record.
	We play an active role in helping to shape EU policy on Sri Lanka. Concerns over human rights figure prominently in EU policy discussions on Sri Lanka.

Switzerland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to improve British-Swiss relations.

Geoff Hoon: The UK and Switzerland enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship with regular dialogue involving British and Swiss Ministers, ambassadors, parliamentarians and officials. High-level British visits to Switzerland are frequent, an example being the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos in January, which was attended by my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and several other Government Ministers. We also share many strategic priorities with the Swiss, such as action on climate change, and foreign policy concerns, such as a successful settlement for Kosovo. We enjoy excellent trade relations with Switzerland. In 2006, Switzerland was the UK's second largest non-EU market after the US, with goods exports totalling almost 4 billion. Switzerland is the sixth largest investor in the UK, with Swiss companies estimated to provide over 100,000 UK jobs.

Tamils

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will hold discussions with her Sri Lanka counterpart on  (a) securing legal protection for the Tamil language and Tamil Eelam region in the North East of Sri Lanka and  (b) the representation of the Tamil people in the Sri Lankan Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 22 May 2007
	In our regular discussions with the Sri Lankan Government, we make clear our strong belief that peace must be pursued through political means. We emphasise the need for them to set out a credible framework for a negotiated settlement, which could satisfy the legitimate demands of all communities and promote the full observance of human rights in Sri Lanka.

United Nations Compensation Commission

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1354, on the United Nations Compensation Commission, what criteria were taken into account in making the compensation awards of $52 billion; and what proportion of claimants were  (a) individuals and  (b) companies.

Kim Howells: The UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) established six categories of compensation claims. Priority was given to claims from individuals forced to leave Iraq or Kuwait (Category A); to claims from individuals who suffered loss or personal injury or who lost a spouse, child or parent (Category B) and to claims from individuals who suffered personal losses of up to US$100,000 (Category C).
	Category D covered claims from individuals suffering losses over US$100,000; Category E covered claims from corporations; and Category F covered claims from Governments and International Organisations.
	Claims in all these categories were assessed and resolved by panels of Commissioners who were independent experts. The UNCC's claims processing procedures were prescribed by the Security Council.
	1,539,265 eligible claims from individuals and 4,390 eligible claims from corporations, international organisations, and Governments have been paid according to the latest information available on the UNCC website:
	www.unog.ch/uncc/.

HEALTH

Breast Cancer: Screening

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department gives on the length of appointment that should be given to women at breast cancer screening clinics.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 May 2007
	The national health service breast screening programme National Quality Assurance Co-ordinating Group for Radiography has produced guidelines for the NHS breast screening programme, entitled Quality Assurance Guidelines For Mammography Including Radiographic Quality Control.
	These guidelines deal with mammographic aspects of breast screening quality assurance and the quality control of radiographic procedures and state that the minimum screening examination for women attending the NHS breast screening programme is two views at all screens and experience shows that six minute appointments are acceptable for most routine screening of women for up to age 70 years.
	Some women do require longer appointment times, such as those with mobility problems or breast implants. The local screening units arrange longer appointments for these women.

Cancer: Drugs

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will initiate hospital trials on the use of dichloroacetate to destroy onc cells in cancer patients.

Rosie Winterton: No. The Department funds national health service research and development through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The institute's research programmes support high quality research of relevance and in areas of high priority to patients and the NHS. Details, including the scope of the programmes and the arrangements for making applications for support from them, are available on the NIHR website at www.nihr.ac.uk. Funding awards are in all cases made after open, competitive, peer review.

Cancer: Drugs

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the efficacy of dichloroacetate in destroying cancer cells; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright) on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 324W.

Care Homes: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1363W, on care homes: finance, how many residential places there are in each region as a proportion of  (a) adults and  (b) pensioners; what assessment she has made of the reasons for the variations in provision of care home places in different regions; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Neither the Department nor the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) collects data on population numbers. The Office for National Statistics has supplied data on numbers of adults (aged 18-64) and older people (aged 65 and over) in the nine CSCI regions.
	This information, together with data on numbers of residential care places supplied by CSCI, is shown in the table.
	The Department has not made any formal assessment of the reason for regional variations in the number of residential care places. This will be influenced by a number of factors, such as variations in demographics, local need and demand, the commissioning strategies employed by councils and levels of deprivation and health in different populations within each area.
	
		
			  CSCI region  Places( 1)  Number of adults (18-64)( 2)  Number of places as a percentage of adults( 3)  Number of older people (65 and over)( 2)  Number of places as a percentage of older people( 3) 
			 East Midlands 40,809 2,666,500 1.53 702,900 5.80 
			 Eastern 45,933 3,389,300 1.35 931,400 4.93 
			 London 40,314 5,000,300 0.81 886,800 4.55 
			 North East 25,723 1,584,800 1.62 430,500 5.98 
			 North West 61,631 4,214,300 1.46 1,105,300 5.58 
			 South East 79,418 5,015,700 1.58 1,353,200 5.87 
			 South West 56,479 3,559,800 1.59 1,049,300 5.38 
			 West Midlands 44,446 3,279,600 1.35 871,700 5.10 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 47,967 3,120,200 1.54 821,700 5.84 
			 (1) Numbers include residential homes for older people and for younger adults (aged 18-64). (2) Figures rounded to the nearest 100. These data are Crown copyright. (3) Percentages rounded to two decimal places.  Sources: 1. CSCI registration and inspection databasesnapshot on 13 March 2007. 2. Office for National Statistics mid-2005 population estimates.

Care Homes: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1348W, on care homes: Northamptonshire, if she will publish the dignity in care grant allocations for each care home in Northamptonshire for 2007-08 once determined.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 23 May 2007
	We have no plans to publish this information centrally. This is a matter for local authorities, who are responsible for publicising and managing the grants locally.
	We have published the amount of the allocations to each local authority, which are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Authority  Total grant allocation 2007-08 () 
			 Barking and Dagenham 205,000 
			 Barnet 365,000 
			 Barnsley 365,000 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 220,000 
			 Bedfordshire 410,000 
			 Bexley 250,000 
			 Birmingham 1,260,000 
			 Blackburn 245,000 
			 Blackpool 315,000 
			 Bolton 385,000 
			 Bournemouth 280,000 
			 Bracknell Forest 90,000 
			 Bradford 745,000 
			 Brent 195,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 380,000 
			 Bristol 570,000 
			 Bromley 290,000 
			 Buckinghamshire 370,000 
			 Bury 275,000 
			 Calderdale 300,000 
			 Cambridgeshire 605,000 
			 Camden 250,000 
			 Cheshire 1,030,000 
			 City of London 20,000 
			 Cornwall 740,000 
			 Coventry 355,000 
			 Croydon 285,000 
			 Cumbria 770,000 
			 Darlington 210,000 
			 Derby 390,000 
			 Derbyshire 1,085,000 
			 Devon 1,320,000 
			 Doncaster 385,000 
			 Dorset 510,000 
			 Dudley 380,000 
			 Durham 935,000 
			 Ealing 280,000 
			 East Riding 610,000 
			 East Sussex 855,000 
			 Enfield 235,000 
			 Essex 1,365,000 
			 Gateshead 380,000 
			 Gloucestershire 705,000 
			 Greenwich 225,000 
			 Hackney 175,000 
			 Halton 150,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 150,000 
			 Hampshire 1,370,000 
			 Haringey 200,000 
			 Harrow 165,000 
			 Hartlepool 165,000 
			 Havering 255,000 
			 Herefordshire 220,000 
			 Hertfordshire 1,180,000 
			 Hillingdon 215,000 
			 Hounslow 175,000 
			 Isle of Wight 310,000 
			 Isles of Scilly 20,000 
			 Islington 215,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 110,000 
			 Kent 1,895,000 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull 580,000 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 140,000 
			 Kirklees 575,000 
			 Knowsley 240,000 
			 Lambeth 265,000 
			 Lancashire 1,800,000 
			 Leeds 1,040,000 
			 Leicester 405,000 
			 Leicestershire 650,000 
			 Lewisham 305,000 
			 Lincolnshire 1,290,000 
			 Liverpool 895,000 
			 Luton 165,000 
			 Manchester 665,000 
			 Medway Towns 240,000 
			 Merton 140,000 
			 Middlesbrough 215,000 
			 Milton Keynes 190,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire 270,000 
			 North Lincolnshire 275,000 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 480,000 
			 Newham 225,000 
			 Norfolk 1,260,000 
			 North Somerset 340,000 
			 North Tyneside 505,000 
			 North Yorkshire 835,000 
			 Northamptonshire 805,000 
			 Northumberland 565,000 
			 Nottingham 425,000 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,120,000 
			 Oldham 440,000 
			 Oxfordshire 525,000 
			 Peterborough 180,000 
			 Plymouth 450,000 
			 Poole 135,000 
			 Portsmouth 245,000 
			 Reading 110,000 
			 Redbridge 250,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 225,000 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 155,000 
			 Rochdale 325,000 
			 Rotherham 420,000 
			 Rutland 50,000 
			 Salford 400,000 
			 Sandwell 455,000 
			 Sefton 550,000 
			 Sheffield 980,000 
			 Shropshire 470,000 
			 Slough 100,000 
			 Solihull 205,000 
			 Somerset 780,000 
			 South Gloucestershire 300,000 
			 South Tyneside 295,000 
			 Southampton 280,000 
			 Southend 245,000 
			 Southwark 280,000 
			 St. Helens 225,000 
			 Staffordshire 1,075,000 
			 Stockport 370,000 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 350,000 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 445,000 
			 Suffolk 900,000 
			 Sunderland 525,000 
			 Surrey 1,095,000 
			 Sutton 170,000 
			 Swindon 175,000 
			 Tameside 435,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin 180,000 
			 Thurrock 135,000 
			 Torbay 270,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 200,000 
			 Trafford 280,000 
			 Wakefield 495,000 
			 Walsall 380,000 
			 Waltham Forest 200,000 
			 Wandsworth 265,000 
			 Warrington 315,000 
			 Warwickshire 490,000 
			 West Berkshire 110,000 
			 West Sussex 1,010,000 
			 Westminster 220,000 
			 Wigan 425,000 
			 Wiltshire 460,000 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 105,000 
			 Wirral 890,000 
			 Wokingham 90,000 
			 Wolverhampton 350,000 
			 Worcestershire 705,000 
			 York 220,000 
			 Total 67,725,000

Cataracts: Surgery

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cataract operations have been performed by the NHS in each of the past five years, broken down by strategic health authority; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 May 2007
	The following table shows the numbers of admissions to hospital for a cataract operation in the last five years. The table does not include cataract operations carried out on an out-patient basis.
	
		
			  Strategic health authority  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 16,677 16,938 16,310 14,868 12,778 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 8,334 9,594 8,796 7,347 6,438 
			 Essex 10,301 10,583 11,785 9,126 8,882 
			 North West London 9,816 9,901 9,454 8,570 7,586 
			 North Central London 5,981 6,695 6,105 5,413 4,913 
			 North East London 7,985 8,478 9,146 7,344 5,687 
			 South East London 6,596 6,800 7,882 7,131 5,580 
			 South West London 6,688 6,146 7,660 6,597 5,878 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 10,675 10,769 10,506 9,852 9,045 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 7,701 8,346 7,206 6,729 5,790 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 9,617 10,477 10,168 9,569 7,417 
			 West Yorkshire 10,291 12,074 10,992 10,852 10,889 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 11,967 12,679 13,330 12,216 10,318 
			 Greater Manchester 13,147 14,087 13,403 13,338 13,046 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 12,545 12,516 14,356 11,849 11,773 
			 Thames Valley 10,733 11,026 11,730 9,378 9,993 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 11,837 13,468 11,695 9,692 8,430 
			 Kent and Medway 10,101 9,079 9,540 8,846 7,383 
			 Surrey and Sussex 16,170 14,844 15,515 13,063 12,098 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 12,508 14,455 12,282 12,279 11,132 
			 South West Peninsula 11,252 12,866 12,101 10,301 10,022 
			 Dorset and Somerset 8,185 8,064 8,748 8,116 7,225 
			 South Yorkshire 8,546 8,967 8,469 9,024 7,311 
			 Trent 17,693 17,458 16,251 14,794 13,751 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 7,417 7,285 6,995 6,388 6,364 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 7,172 8,090 8,654 7,248 7,412 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 12,153 12,089 12,505 12,116 12,053 
			 West Midlands South 6,508 7,170 7,721 7,804 7,836 
			  288,596 300,944 299,305 269,850 247,030 
			  Note: The figures given do not represent the number of patients, as a patient may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

Childbirth

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most common age for women to give birth for the first time was in each year since 1987.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 24 May 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about the most common age for women to give birth for the first time in each year since 1987. (134458)
	The most recent year for which data are available is 2005. For each year between 1987 and 2005, the table below shows the most common age at which women had their first live birth in England and Wales. Figures are given for both the age at which the largest number of women had their first birth and the age at which the birth rate for childless women was highest.
	
		
			   Most common age of first birth, based on: 
			   Largest numbers of first births  Highest birth rates for childless women 
			 1987 24 28 
			 1988 25 29 
			 1989 25 30 
			 1990 25 28 
			 1991 26 28 
			 1992 26 29 
			 1993 27 29 
			 1994 27 29 
			 1995 27 30 
			 1996 28 30 
			 1997 28 29 
			 1998 27 30 
			 1999 28 31 
			 2000 29 31 
			 2001 30 31 
			 2002 31 31 
			 2003 31 31 
			 2004 31 31 
			 2005 31 31

Childbirth

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions were made about the number of live births in each year until 2009 in order to inform her Department's document Maternity Matters, gateway reference 7586 of 3 April 2007.

Ivan Lewis: Population predictions, including predictions of birth rates and trends, are developed by the Government Actuarial Department. We have used these forecasts as the basis for future trends in live births.
	Maternity Matters is a comprehensive programme for improving choice, access and continuity of care in maternity services. It sets out a strategy that will put women and their partners at the centre of their local maternity service provision. It highlights how commissioners, providers, maternity professionals and user representatives will be able to use the health reform agenda to shape provision to meet the needs of women and their families.
	In implementing the recommendations of Maternity Matters local managers will need to take into account a range of issues. These include how their services are organised within a maternity network, the provision of safe, responsive care for women with complex and straightforward pregnancies at all times, and arrangements for transfers across the network that take into account emergencies and geographical factors.

Childbirth

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births there were in each hospital consultant-led maternity unit in  (a) 2005 and in  (b) 2006.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 May 2007
	Information is not collected centrally in the form requested. NHS Maternity Statistics, England: 2004-5, the last year for which we have figures, shows there were 584,100 hospital births and 13,700 home births. This equates to 97.7 per cent. hospital and 2.3 per cent. home births. Of the hospital births, 54 per cent. were in consultant wards, 40 per cent. were in joint consultant/midwife/general practitioner (GP) wards, 4 per cent. in midwife-led wards and 1 per cent. in GP wards. We are not able to break down these figures by national health service trust.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of Health, 
	(1)  what action her Department is taking to reduce the length of time taken to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis;
	(2)  what her strategy is to ensure that local service providers meet local need for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome services.

Ivan Lewis: In 2004 the Department formally requested the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). NICE expects to publish this guidance in August 2007.
	Local national health service organisations have the responsibility to demonstrate that they are making progress towards achieving the level of service quality described in the National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions (the NSF). Since publication of the NSF, the Department has co-ordinated a range of activity to help local health and social care organisations take forward implementation of the NSF. This includes:
	working with key NHS, social care, voluntary and independent sector stakeholders, as well as service users and carers, to identify and address key issues in neurological services and the stakeholders' role in implementation;
	ensuring that other key delivery programmes, most especially the White Paper 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' and the long-term conditions strategy help deliver key NSF objectives; and
	work with the Care Services Improvement Partnership to promote implementation of the NSF through a co-ordinated work programme, including regional workshops, a web-based getting started pack and self-assessment tool for services.

Cochlear Implants: Waiting Lists

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many  (a) children and  (b) adults have been waiting more than (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) one year for a cochlear implant operation;
	(2)  how many cochlear implant operations have been performed on  (a) children and  (b) adults in each NHS trust since 2002-03.

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cochlear implants were carried out in each year between 2000 and 2006 in each health trust.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of children and adults waiting for a cochlear implant operation is not held centrally.
	Information on how many cochlear implant operations have been performed on children and adults in each national health service trust since 2002-06 has been placed in the Library.

Colorectal Cancer: Bevacizumab

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects Bevacizumab to become routinely available on the NHS for the treatment of bowel cancer.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 22 May 2007
	On 24 January 2007, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance to the national health service on the use of Bevacizumab for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.
	NICE's guidance did not recommend Bevacizumab as a treatment option for metastatic colorectal (bowel) cancer. However, the guidance states that patients who were receiving Bevacizumab should have the option to continue to do so until they and their consultants decide that it is the right time to stop treatment.
	It will be for individual primary care trusts to decide whether to fund Bevacizumab for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in the light of NICE's recommendations. It would be inappropriate for Ministers to intervene.

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists operating under  (a) general dental services contracts and  (b) personal dental services agreements left the NHS in each year since 1997-98; and what percentage these figures represent of the number of dentists in the NHS (i) in total and (ii) in each strategic health authority area.

Rosie Winterton: The latest information available is set out in the following tables. Information is not available broken down by general dental services and personal dental services and could be provided in that format only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Number of complete leavers, and as a percentage of total dentists, in England by strategic health authority (SHA) area as at 31 March each year 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002 
			   Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists 
			 England 915 5 956 5 1,033 6 1,208 7 1,191 6 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 50 6 40 5 56 6 58 6 69 7 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 39 6 34 5 39 5 34 5 39 5 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 25 4 38 5 33 5 48 6 33 4 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 38 4 48 5 45 5 44 5 57 6 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 16 4 20 5 19 5 20 5 19 5 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 31 5 28 4 33 5 49 7 25 4 
			 Dorset and Somerset 20 5 17 4 30 7 23 5 33 7 
			 Essex 27 5 32 6 31 5 52 9 50 9 
			 Greater Manchester 51 6 39 4 52 6 45 5 43 5 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 26 4 31 5 33 5 50 7 43 6 
			 Kent and Medway 51 9 54 9 50 8 51 8 45 7 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 20 5 22 5 17 4 41 9 28 6 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 43 6 38 5 49 6 50 6 37 5 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 26 5 24 5 28 5 26 5 23 4 
			 North Central London 44 7 59 9 43 6 56 8 70 10 
			 North East London 30 5 41 7 31 5 38 6 43 7 
			 North West London 38 4 60 6 72 6 86 8 77 7 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 24 5 30 6 34 7 30 6 29 6 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 22 5 17 4 13 3 18 4 25 5 
			 South East London 41 7 47 7 40 6 53 8 60 9 
			 South West London 39 6 44 7 45 7 63 9 46 7 
			 South West Peninsula 33 6 37 6 42 7 40 6 56 8 
			 South Yorkshire 12 3 15 3 11 2 25 5 25 5 
			 Surrey and Sussex 63 6 58 5 63 5 78 6 74 6 
			 Thames Valley 48 6 36 4 46 5 48 5 53 6 
			 Trent 39 5 40 5 54 6 51 6 53 6 
			 West Midlands South 17 3 25 5 23 4 35 6 35 6 
			 West Yorkshire 24 3 31 4 34 5 31 4 38 5 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists  Complete leavers  % of total dentists 
			 England 1,233 7 1,270 7 1,163 6 1,088 5 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 81 9 54 6 55 6 58 6 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 57 8 52 7 33 4 32 4 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 28 3 28 3 36 4 38 4 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 50 5 45 5 55 6 50 5 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 17 4 12 3 25 6 17 4 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 41 6 38 6 26 4 23 3 
			 Dorset and Somerset 33 7 42 8 41 8 35 6 
			 Essex 35 6 43 7 35 6 36 5 
			 Greater Manchester 47 5 46 5 48 5 34 3 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 46 7 62 9 43 6 48 6 
			 Kent and Medway 51 8 49 8 62 10 45 7 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 18 4 20 4 23 4 27 5 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 62 8 51 6 62 7 62 7 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 19 3 39 7 31 5 35 5 
			 North Central London 58 8 52 7 39 5 31 4 
			 North East London 34 6 36 6 38 6 27 4 
			 North West London 91 9 67 6 55 5 69 6 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 33 6 37 7 34 6 35 6 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 19 4 36 7 22 4 16 3 
			 South East London 37 6 51 8 50 7 30 4 
			 South West London 62 9 68 10 43 6 34 5 
			 South West Peninsula 59 9 61 9 53 7 47 6 
			 South Yorkshire 24 5 29 6 23 5 29 6 
			 Surrey and Sussex 91 7 95 7 102 7 82 6 
			 Thames Valley 52 5 62 6 50 5 53 5 
			 Trent 54 6 54 6 50 5 41 4 
			 West Midlands South 29 5 26 4 30 4 28 4 
			 West Yorkshire 42 5 49 6 32 4 42 5 
			  Notes: 1. Complete leaver means the dentist had an open GDS or PDS contract in March of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in March of the specified year. 2. Percentages are calculated on the number of dentists with an open GDS or PDS contract as at 31 March in the specified year. 3. The dentist numbers include principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts are excluded. 4. A dentist may have a contract in more than one SHA area. Therefore, data at SHA area may include duplications of dentists leaving. England data exclude duplication. 5. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. SHA areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 6. The numbers of leavers include all notifications, received by the dental practice board, up to 11 May 2006. 7. SHA boundaries as at 31 March 2006.  Source s : The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS BSA.

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which strategic health authorities distance targets for access to NHS dentistry have been implemented by primary care trusts for  (a) routine and  (b) emergency treatment; and what distance target has been set by each.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not available centrally. Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning services to reflect local needs and for deciding what indicators or standards to use to monitor access to services.
	continued

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts are operating waiting lists for patients seeking to access primary dental care.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to make local arrangements to support patients in accessing national health service dental services.

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment her Department has made of levels of demand for NHS primary dental care.

Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts to assess locally the level of need and demand for national health services primary dental care. The most recent estimate undertaken by the Department suggested that, in any given two-year period, it is likely that some 60 per cent. or so of the population will seek to access NHS dental services. This estimate took into account levels of patient registrations in the early 1990s, when adult registrations lasted for two years and when there were no significant reported difficulties of access to services. The most recent data show that around 56 per cent. of the population accessed NHS dental services in the two-year period ending December 2006, the same proportion as in the two-year period ending March 2006.

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the new General Dental Services contract on  (a) access to services,  (b) quality of care,  (c) oral health and  (d) the patient experience.

Rosie Winterton: The Department will be publishing a report later in the summer, assessing the first 12 months of the new arrangements for local commissioning of dental services and the new contractual arrangements. The most recent data show that the proportion of the population accessing national health service dental services in the two-year period ending December 2006 is the same as in the two-year period immediately preceding the reforms. This suggests that access has remained broadly stable during the transition to the new arrangements. The evidence also so far indicates that the NHS is commissioning a steadily increasing volume of NHS dental services.

Dental Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology her Department uses for assessing levels of patient access to primary care dental services.

Rosie Winterton: The Department monitors the numbers of patients who receive national health service care or treatment from a dentist one or more times during a 24 month period. The latest data are contained in 'NHS Dental Statistics for England Quarter 3: 31 December 2006' which is available in the Library. It is for primary care trusts to decide locally what other indicators or standards they wish to use to monitor access to services.

Dental Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many units of dental activity have been allocated to  (a) England and Wales and  (b) Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust in financial year (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08;
	(2)  how many units of dental activity are available to dentists in each primary care trust in England;
	(3)  what the average number of units of dental activity available per head of population is in  (a) England and  (b) Milton Keynes.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer s  23 May 2007
	Information is not available in the form requested. Information is available on the level of service commissioned.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) commission dental services from local dental providers. Information is collected centrally on the number of contracts each PCT holds and the units of dental activity (UDAs) these represent. UDAs are a way of measuring and giving relative weight to the course of treatments given to patients. The latest information showing the total number of UDAs commissioned as at 31 March 2007 by PCT is provided in a table which has been placed in the Library. Information is available for England only, and is available at:
	www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts/index.htm
	The annualised number of UDAs commissioned expressed per head of population is 1.55 at England level and 1.36 for Milton Keynes PCT. The latest available population data are as at 2005.

Dental Services

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the  (a) maximum,  (b) minimum and  (c) average value of a unit of dental activity is in England;
	(2)  what the value of a unit of dental activity is in each dental practice in Milton Keynes.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer s  23 May 2007
	Data collected by the Department centrally do not identify the value of units of dental activity (UDAs) or provide a basis for comparisons of UDA values between primary care trusts (PCTs) or dental practices. PCTs set contract values and service level requirements locally. UDA values will vary because of a number of factors, including differences in treatment patterns and treatment needs in different areas, the contract values negotiated locally by PCTs and dental practices, and the degree to which PCTs and practices may have agreed service outputs that cannot be measured through patient courses of treatment.

Dental Services: Cornwall

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the likely effect on dental services of the decision by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust not to comply with the decision of the NHS Litigation Authority for the determination of contract activity for dental practices in Cornwall.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's understanding is that the primary care trust in question is still in the process of working through the implications of the NHS Litigation Authority decision with its local dental providers.

Dental Services: Funding

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1596W, on dental services: funding, how much Dental Service Increment for Teaching funding was made available to each strategic health authority (SHA) for 2007-08; whether SHAs' expenditure of their Dental Service Increment for Teaching funding in 2007-08 is ring-fenced for the stated purposes of the funding; what steps she is taking to ensure that in 2007-08 the Dental Service Increment for Teaching budget is used by SHAs for its planned purpose; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Dental Service Increment for Teaching (SIFT) funding for each strategic health authority in 2007-08 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  SHA  Dental SIFT allocation  (000) 
			 East Midlands SHA 0 
			 East of England SHA 0 
			 London SHA 28,940 
			 North East SHA 8,103 
			 North West SHA 13,491 
			 South Central SHA 0 
			 South East Coast SHA 0 
			 South West SHA 8,156 
			 West Midlands SHA 8,140 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA 13,928 
			   
			 England total 80,757 
		
	
	The Service Increment for Teaching funding was issued as an element of the Multi Professional Education and Training budget, which was allocated to SHA as part of the bundle of central budgets.
	The education and training budget was not ring-fenced in order to allow SHA freedom to spend resources according to their own priorities.
	However, in 2007-08 a service level agreement and accountability framework has been issued to ensure that SHA are held to account for the training they support for undergraduate dental students. This agreement requires SHA to fund dental placements based on the nationally agreed placement rate, which should ensure that undergraduate dental students receive the necessary support in the future.

Dentures

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the adult population of  (a) England and  (b) Lancashire under the age of (i) 35, (ii) 45 and (iii) 55 years have false teeth; and what the respective figures were in 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the requested format, but information is available on the percentage of the adult population of the United Kingdom who have no remaining natural teeth. It is not known what proportion of these have false teeth.
	
		
			  Percentage of all adults with no remaining natural teeth, United Kingdom, 1998 
			  Age  Adults with no remaining natural teeth (percentage) 
			 16 to 24 0 
			 25 to 34 0 
			 35 to 44 1 
			 45 to 54 6 
			 55 to 64 20 
			 65 to 74 36 
			 75 and over 58 
			  Source: Adult Dental Health Survey, 1998, table 2.3.1

Departments: Higher Civil Servants

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the members of the Department Board on  (a) 6 May 2005,  (b) 5 May 2006 and  (c) at present; and what the job title is of each.

Rosie Winterton: Membership of the Department's Management Board as of the dates requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Membership of the Departmental Management Board 
			  As of 6 May 2005  
			 Sir Nigel Crisp Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of the National Health Service 
			 Sir Liam Donaldson Chief Medical Officer and Director of Health and Social Care Standards and Quality 
			 John Bacon Director of Health and Social Care Services Delivery 
			 Hugh Taylor Director of Health and Social Care Strategy and Business Development 
			 Christine Beasley Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Public Involvement and Patient 
			 Richard Douglas Director of Finance and Investment 
			 Stephen O'Brien Director of Strategy 
			 Sian Jarvis Director of Communications 
			   
			  As of 5 May 2006  
			 Hugh Taylor Acting Permanent Secretary 
			 Sir Ian Carruthers Acting Chief Executive of the NHS 
			 Sir Liam Donaldson Chief Medical Officer 
			 Julie Baddeley Non-Executive Director 
			 Derek Myers Non-Executive Director 
			 Ken Anderson Director General, Commercial 
			 Christine Beasley Chief Nursing Officer and Director of Patient and Public Involvement 
			 Alan Doran Acting Director General, Departmental Management 
			 Richard Douglas Director General, Finance and Investment 
			 Margaret Edwards Director General, Access 
			 David Flory Interim Director General, Financial Recovery 
			 Richard Granger Director General, NHS Connecting for Health 
			 Nic Greenfield Acting Director General, Workforce 
			 Barbara Hakin Acting Director General, Commissioning 
			 Bill McCarthy Acting Director General, Policy and Strategy 
			 Duncan Selbie Director General, Performance 
			 Matt Tee Interim Director General, Communications 
			   
			  At present (8 May 2007)  
			 Hugh Taylor Permanent Secretary 
			 David Nicholson Chief Executive of the NHS 
			 Sir Liam Donaldson Chief Medical Officer 
			 Julie Baddeley Non-Executive Director 
			 Derek Myers Non-Executive Director 
			 Mike Wheeler Non-Executive Director 
			 Christine Beasley Chief Nursing Officer and Director General, Experience, Involvement and Professional Leadership 
			 David Behan Director General, Social Care 
			 Andrew Cash Director General, Provider Development 
			 Clare Chapman Director General, Workforce 
			 Alan Doran Director General, Departmental Management 
			 Richard Douglas Director General, Finance and Investment 
			 Ivan Ellul Acting Director General, Commissioning 
			 Richard Granger Director General, NHS Connecting for Health 
			 Una O'Brien Acting Director General, Policy and Strategy 
			 Michael Seitz Acting Director General, Commercial 
			 Matt Tee Interim Director General, Communications

Departments: Renewable Energy

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much energy in kilowatt hours was purchased by her Department from renewable sources in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The amount of energy purchased by the Department from renewable sources in 2006 was 12,573,002 kWh.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the number of junior doctors who will not secure jobs in the 2007 medical training application service selection process; and what assistance will be provided for these doctors.

Rosie Winterton: As the process is ongoing, it is not possible to predict the outcomes as yet. The review group is exploring the possibilities for creating further training opportunities where these can support local work force requirements. The review group is also exploring ways to support any doctors who do not secure training and to maximize the employment opportunities.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Mersey Deanery is taking to provide information on changes to the medical training application service and modernising medical careers to medical trainees.

Rosie Winterton: It is a matter for the deaneries to make the appropriate information available to trainees. However, some updates and advice can also be found on the Modernising Medical Careers and Medical Training Application Service websites at www.mmc.nhs.uk and www.mtas.nhs.uk respectively.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions have been made for flexible training in the modernising medical careers programme.

Rosie Winterton: A commitment to ensure opportunities for flexible training is a central plank of the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) proposals. The MMC model supports doctors who wish to train flexiblywith progress based on the acquisition of competences, there is no time limit on the length of training. It is a matter for employers and deaneries to adapt programmes locally to ensure such trainees are accommodated.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision there will be to maintain standards of patient care during the period after 1 August when all junior doctors will change jobs.

Rosie Winterton: Not all doctors in training will change jobs on the same date at the beginning of August. Arrangements for 2007 will reflect current practice as most doctors at the level equivalent to the senior house officer grade will start in the first week of August, while doctors at the equivalent of the specialist registrar grade will have staggered start dates.
	To ensure service is maintained at the beginning of August and patient care is not compromised, NHS employers are working with trusts to plan now for managing the transition in the period after 1 August. These plans include advertising locum posts on NHS jobs to fill training posts and using extensions to contracts or service posts.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason junior doctors may not sample academic medicine unless they have completed a foundation academic programme.

Rosie Winterton: Applicants can sample academic medicine by doing an academic foundation programme which provides a route to foundation 2 competencies. They can also enter through other routes. However, all applicants to the academic specialty training programmes must have achieved foundation 2 competencies as essential entry requirements.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to increase the number of training posts for medics.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 May 2007
	The review group is exploring the possibilities for creating further training opportunities where these can support local work force requirements. The review group is also looking at ways to support any doctors who do not secure training and to maximize the employment opportunities for them in the United Kingdom.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisation developed the Medical Training Application Service software used in support of Modernising Medical Careers; and at what overall cost to the public purse.

Rosie Winterton: Methods Consulting have been contracted to develop and support the medical training application service. The total costs of this service including set-up costs were 1.9 million in 2006-07. The estimated costs of the service over five years are 6.3 million.

Doctors: Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of running the Medical Training Application Service in 2006-07; and what funding has been allocated to the service in 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: The total cost of the Medical Training Application Service, including set-up costs, was 1.9 million in 2006-07. The funding requirement that has been estimated for 2007-08 is 1.5 million.

Doctors: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many post graduate training posts there were  (a) in total and  (b) for GP positions for junior doctors in each years since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: pursuant to the reply, 15 May 2007, Official Report, c.  725W
	The number of post graduate posts and junior doctors posts funded by the Department from the Medical and Dental Education and Training Levy (MADEL) from 2003-04 to 2007-08 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of MADEL funded posts, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			   Number of posts 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total posts funded from MADEL 35,878 36,833 37,427 37,611 39,326 
			 GP registrars and pre registration house officers funded from MADEL 2,402 2,726 2,911 2,902 2,902 
			  Notes: 1. 2007-08 MADEL figures include 351 SHO posts and 527 SpR posts that are rebased from service. 2. Due to changes in methodology, MADEL figures are not available prior to 2003-04.  Source: MADEL allocations data

Doctors: Training

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the  (a) junior doctors and  (b) junior doctors' representatives whom she met on each day since 1 February to discuss modernising medical careers.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 May 2007
	 My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met representatives from the British Medical Association (BMA) who represent junior doctors on 28 February and 14 March. She also met with the Royal College of Physicians on 16 May.
	On 5 March my right hon. Friend met Paul Dmitri, chair of the Academy of the Medical Royal Colleges Trainees Group.
	On 11 May she met a small group of junior doctors at Whiston hospital, St. Helens and Knowsley Trust.
	In addition the Secretary of State had phone calls with the BMA on 8 March, 9 and 16 May.
	My noble Friend Lord Hunt, the Minister of State, met James Johnson chairman of the BMA on 2 May.
	There have also been a series of official level meetings with representatives from Remedy UK and the BMA on modernising medical careers since 1 February.

Doctors: Training

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to guarantee care standards in the transitional period to modernising medical careers and the implementation of the working time directive.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 May 2007
	To ensure service is maintained at the beginning of August and patient care is not compromised, strategic health authorities are working with trusts and NHS employers and the Department to plan now for managing the transition in the period after 1 August. These plans include advertising locum posts on NHS jobs to fill training posts and using extensions to contracts or service posts.
	Not all doctors in training will change jobs on the same date at the beginning of August. Arrangements for 2007 will reflect current practice as most doctors at the level equivalent to the senior house officer grade will start in the first week of August, while doctors at the equivalent of the specialist registrar grade will have staggered start dates. From August 2007, the European Working Time Directive requires doctors in training to be working a maximum 56 hour week (averaged over the six month reference period). Doctors in training typically work a 56 hour week already, consistent with their new deal contracts.

Eating Disorders: Young People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) boys and  (b) girls aged (i) under 10, (ii) 10, (iii) 11, (iv) 12, (v) 13, (vi) 14, (vii) 15, (viii) 16, (ix) 17 and (x) 18 years were admitted to hospital for illnesses or conditions relating to eating disorders in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: Information is not collected in the format requested. Information is available from 1996 -97 onwards about the number of finished consultant episodes following a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.
	We take the issue of eating disorders, especially among young people, very seriously. This is why the Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a clinical guideline on the core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders, and which NICE published in 2004. The guideline covers physical and psychological treatments, treatment with medicines, and information specifically for patients, carers and the general public. The guideline is due for review in January 2008.
	
		
			  Count of finished in year admission episodes where the primary diagnosis related to an eating disorder( 1) ; 1996-97 to 2005-06, NHS Hospitals, England 
			Age 
			Under 10  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18 
			 2005-06 Female 23 13 20 32 58 82 130 71 76 57 
			  Male 35 16 6 4 9 6 14 6 10 5 
			 2004-05 Female 20 21 7 34 50 105 73 65 54 48 
			  Male 11 4 1 12 13 22 13 6 4 6 
			 2003-04 Female 21 8 27 20 64 61 69 64 71 66 
			  Male 93 1 6 5 10 6 5 2 9 1 
			 2002-03 Female 15 19 16 18 55 81 85 67 96 50 
			  Male 50 75 3 9 9 5 9 8 2 5 
			 2001-02 Female 26 11 17 20 41 63 87 60 75 53 
			  Male 18 1 3 10 5 8 3 3 4 1 
			 2000-01 Female 16 12 6 25 40 91 87 68 65 34 
			  Male 11 5 3 4 4 2 9 1 2 0 
			 1999-2000 Female 20 15 10 28 49 73 98 77 46 77 
			  Male 10 0 3 1 3 7 6 2 0 1 
			 1998-99 Female 15 3 12 40 70 52 73 61 49 57 
			  Male 20 1 3 1 9 1 7 2 4 1 
			 1997-98 Female 33 6 29 21 40 56 68 60 53 44 
			  Male 31 7 4 3 8 9 8 1 4 3 
			 1996-97 Female 36 12 14 9 35 62 84 61 48 46 
			  Male 43 7 2 3 3 10 4 2 2 3 
			  Notes: 1. A finished consultant episode is a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures represent the number of treatment episodes provided, but do not represent the individual number of patients seen, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. The eating disorders covered are: anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, atypical bulimia nervosa, overeating associated with other psychological disturbances, vomiting associated with other psychological disturbances, other eating disorders, eating disorders unspecified, feeding disorder of infancy and childhood and pica of infancy and childhood.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Health Services: Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what mechanisms exist to monitor the accuracy of statistics provided in reporting on the provision of health care in prison establishments; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what mechanisms exist to allow staff to report the submission of statistical inaccuracies on the provision of health care in prison establishments; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department uses a system of star ratings to monitor the state of prison health care services across England and Wales. This is based on a framework of measures, including prison self-assessments, external inspection reports, and prisons' performance against key areas such as mental health and dental waiting times.
	Data are collected for each prison establishment via Prison Service Area Offices. It is for primary care trusts, in conjunction with other stakeholders, to ensure the quality of returns concerning prison health care to the Department, Any inaccuracies will be resolved locally.

Health Services: Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the Secure Healthcare bid for the delivery of health care provision in prison establishments.

Rosie Winterton: The Secure Healthcare application for the Department's social enterprise pathfinder status was one of 381, of which 26 were successful. Elements of each application contain commercialin confidence information about potential social enterprises. It would therefore be inappropriate to place a copy of any of the applications in the Library.
	The tender bid for the delivery of health care provision in HM Prison Wandsworth is a local matter for HM Prison Wandsworth and Wandsworth primary care trust.

Health Services: Prisons

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision the prison health service makes for prisoners with mental health problems.

Rosie Winterton: Mental health services for prisoners have been a key part of the Government's recent reforms of health services for prisoners. The Department is now investing 20 million a year in national health service mental health in-reach services for prisoners. These are community mental health teams working within prisons and are now available in 102 prisons, with some 360 extra staff employed. Every prison in England and Wales has access to these services.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answers given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Mr. Sutcliffe) on 21 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1146-7W.

Hearing Impaired: Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on the referral by general practitioners of audiology patients directly to ear, nose and throat consultants; what the difference in cost is per patient to the NHS of such referrals; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether audiogram tests conducted by registered hearing aid dispensers are acceptable diagnostic results for NHS treatment, including the fitting of hearing aids; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Patients seen by the general practitioner (GP) are referred directly to ear, nose and throat consultants if they are a more complicated case. Otherwise, a GP would normally refer an audiology patient to the adult hearing services within an audiology department for routine hearing loss. It is the responsibility of individual practitioners to make the most appropriate referral based on their clinical judgment.
	We do not hold information about the difference in cost per patient to the national health service of such referrals.
	Decisions about audiogram tests are a local matter which will be agreed between the hearing aid dispenser and the audiology service that receives patients who have been tested by the dispenser.

Hospital Wards: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of beds in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area were in mixed wards in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the latest available date.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 May 2007
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hospitals: Security

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to increase hospital security.

Rosie Winterton: In April 2003 the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) was created and assumed responsibility for all security related issues in the NHS in England with a particular priority given to violence against NHS staff. A comprehensive strategy has been implemented detailing both preventative and reactive action to be taken to tackle security related problems both nationally and locally.
	An integral element of the strategy is the creation of a role for an accredited local security management specialist for every trust to develop the security work previously undertaken in the NHS to raise the standards of that work to a consistently high level.
	In June 2006, the Department published a consultation paper, Tackling Nuisance and Disturbance Behaviour on NHS Healthcare Premises: a paper for consultation. As a result of the positive response to the proposals they are being explored with the Home Office, with a view to their introduction into a Criminal Justice Bill.

Hyperactivity

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the diagnostic mechanisms in place.

Ivan Lewis: Regarding the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each of the last five years, I refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave on 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1844W.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines stipulate that the diagnosis of ADHD and the initiation of treatment, should be undertaken by a child and adolescent psychiatrist or a paediatrician with relevant expertise but that continued prescribing and monitoring may be performed by general practitioners. Drug therapy should be part of a comprehensive treatment programme including advice and support to parents and teachers.

Macular Degeneration

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were (i) diagnosed with and (ii) treated for age-related macular degeneration in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of people diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration is not collected centrally.
	The majority of patients receiving treatment for macular degeneration are likely to be treated as out-patients. We do not hold data showing the number of out-patient attendances for this condition.
	The following table shows the number of in-patient admissions for those whose primary diagnosis was degeneration of the macular and posterior pole. We do not hold data for Jarrow which is covered by South Tyneside Primary Care Trust.
	
		
			   Finished consultant episodes 
			   South Tyneside PCT  North East strategic health authorities  England 
			 2005-06 100 2,214 31,386 
			 2004-05 64 2,135 26,793 
			 2003-04 51 1,735 24,501 
			 2002-03 41 2,098 22,354 
			 2001-02 32 1,830 18,864 
			 2000-01 22 1,470 18,092 
			 1999-2000 41 1,327 15,828 
			 1998-99 11 602 13,843 
			 1997-98 6 309 11,350 
			 1996-97 7 403 10,101

Maternity Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records her Department collects on the  (a) performance and  (b) capacity of the NHS to provide a safe and satisfactory (i) antenatal and (ii) post-natal service.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are committed to the principles of good quality woman-centred maternity care. We have put in place a number of measures for improving maternity services, including during the antenatal and post-natal period. The National Health Service Operating Framework 2007-08 requires all primary care trusts to undertake an assessment of current services, identify gaps and barriers to service development in preparation for delivering Maternity Matters, the Government's vision for maternity services.
	While the information is not collected centrally, the Healthcare Commission assesses the performance of the NHS against the standards set out in Standards for Better Health published 2004. These assessments are published in the Annual Health Checks which are available on the Commission's website at www.healthcarecommission.org.uk. In carrying out its assessments, the Commission looks specifically at how patient safety is enhanced by the use of processes and practices which prevent or reduce the risk of harm to patients.

Mental Health Bill

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 58, on the Mental Health Bill, what the evidential basis was for stating that several thousand people have been denied treatment on the grounds that they are not susceptible to treatment.

Rosie Winterton: Under the Mental Health Act, the decision to offer treatment of a patient presenting with a personality disorder(s) (PD) it is a matter of individual clinical judgement. Until very recently appropriate and evidence based interventions for PD have been very limited and their availability nationally inequitable. The prevalence of PD in the general adult population is between 10 to 13 per cent. and upward of 63 per cent. in the offender population. It is therefore a reasonable assumption that over the years since 1984, when the legislation came into force, that thousands of individual mainstream and forensic patients will not have gained access to appropriate treatments for their PD.

Mental Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many adults were formally detained under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each year since 1997-98; and how many adult inpatient beds for  (a) mental illness specialties and  (b) learning disabilities specialties there were in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people under the age of 18 were formally detained under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each year since 1997-98.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the number of formal detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 since 1997-98 and on the number of inpatient beds for mental illness and learning disabilities is shown in the following tables. These figures relate to all age groups of adults and children and separate data covering this period has not been collected centrally about the number of people under the age of 18 who were formally detained.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation (England): children and adults of all ages 
			   Number 
			 1997-98 43,871 
			 1998-99 47,867 
			 1999-2000 47,526 
			 2000-01 47,513 
			 2001-02 47,806 
			 2002-03 46,489 
			 2003-04 45,691 
			 2004-05 46,673 
			 2005-06 47,394 
			  Source:  Information Centre published data form KP90 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of national health service beds for mental illness specialties (England) 
			   Number 
			 1997-98 36,601 
			 1998-99 35,692 
			 1999-2000 34,173 
			 2000-01 34,214 
			 2001-02 32,783 
			 2002-03 32,753 
			 2003-04 32,252 
			 2004-05 31,286 
			 2005-06 29,802 
			  Source: Information Centre published data form KH03 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of NHS beds for learning disability specialties (England) 
			   Number 
			 1997-98 8,197 
			 1998-99 7,491 
			 1999-2000 6,834 
			 2000-01 6,316 
			 2001-02 5,694 
			 2002-03 5,038 
			 2003-04 5,212 
			 2004-05 4,415 
			 2005-06 3,927 
			  Source:  Information Centre published data form KH03

Mental Health Services: Hospital Wards

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) mixed sex wards and  (b) same sex wards are available in each mental health trust; how many beds there are in each such ward; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
	Standards of privacy and dignity are measured by the Healthcare Commission against two core standards, which require that:
	(C13a)staff treat patients, their relatives and carers with dignity and respect; and
	(C20b)health care services are provided in environments which promote effective care and optimize health outcomes by being... supportive of patient privacy and confidentiality.
	Currently, one mental health trust states that they do not meet standard C13a and four mental health trusts report that they do not meet standard C20b.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) median and  (b) mean waiting times for patients waiting to see mental health specialists as (i) an out-patient first attendance and (ii) an in-patient admission were in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information is shown in the following table. It should be noted that waiting times collected by the Department relate to consultant-led services only.
	
		
			  Commissioner based waiting time information for mental health specialties, 1997 to 2007 
			Out-patient appointment  In-patient admission 
			  Month end   Mean (weeks)  Median (weeks)  Mean (weeks)  Median (weeks) 
			 June 1997 7.2 4.1 12.5 9.8 
			 March 1998 6.5 3.8 12.6 9.7 
			 March 1999 6.5 3.7 12.1 8.8 
			 March 2000 6.9 3.8 12.6 8.5 
			 March 2001 6.8 3.8 10.5 8.7 
			 March 2002 7.3 4.0 9.9 8.1 
			 March 2003 6.2 4.3 9.2 7.5 
			 March 2004(1) 5.5 3.9 9.3 8.1 
			 March 2005(1) 5.2 3.7 6.6 5.3 
			 March 2006(1) 5.2 3.8 6.1 4.2 
			 December 2006(1) 4.0 3.3 4.2 3.4 
			 March 2007(1) n/a n/a 3.9 3.1 
			 (1 )Total in-patient waiting lists below 100 people for mental health specialties. It should be noted that for these low numbers the mean and median waiting times are prone to fluctuations.  Notes: 1. The figures are based on combined data from the following mental health specialties: Mental Illness, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Old Age Psychiatry. 2. In-patient waiting time based on mean/median wait of those still waiting at end of period. Out-patient waiting times based on time waited for those seen during the quarter.  Source: Department of Health, QF01 and QMO8rs

Midwives: Vacancies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage three-month vacancy rate was for midwives in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Three-month vacancy rates were collected for the first time in March 1999. The table shows the national vacancy rate for midwives each year since 1999.
	
		
			  National vacancy rates for midwives 1999 to 2006 in England 
			   Percentage Rate 
			 1999 2.1 
			 2000 2.8 
			 2001 2.6 
			 2002 2.8 
			 2003 3.1 
			 2004 3.3 
			 2005 1.8 
			 2006 1.0 
			  Source: National health service workforce vacancy survey.

NHS: Career Structure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to the NHS Careers service in each year since 1999-2000; and how many people the service employed in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Information on funding allocated to the NHS Careers service is available for each year starting from 2002. NHS Careers services range from a careers advice line to a careers website to support recruitment to the national health service. The breakdown of funding given in the following table is for the different aspects of NHS Careers service and includes costs for staffing. However, to identify costs of staffing separately would be available only at disproportionate costs.
	NHS Employers assumed responsibility for NHS Careers service in July 2005.
	
		
			  NHS Careers service since 2002 
			  COI j ob number  COI Job name  Cost () 
			  2002   
			 253700 NHS Careers Doctors and Dentists 68,600.00 
			 252110 NHS Careers Advice Line 719,151.00 
			  NHS Careers Bulk Fulfilment 104,300.60 
			  NHS Careers Website 37,200.00 
			 254415 NHS Careers Job Shop 5,230.00 
			 256442 NHS Careers Merchandising 85,100.00 
			 256440 NHS Careers Spring Campaign 2003 310,825.20 
			
			  2003   
			 257127 NHS Careers Bulk Fulfilment 125,260.02 
			 257136 NHS Careers Advice Line 819,818.44 
			 257140 NHS Careers Website 33,870.58 
			 261417 NHS Careers Spring Campaign 2004 236,004.44 
			
			  2004   
			 262237 NHS Careers Bulk Fulfilment 112,269.00 
			 262238 NHS Careers Helpline 799,320.00 
			 262240 NHS Careers Website 59,402.42 
			 266388 NHS Careers Spring Campaign 2005 300,000.00 
			
			  2005   
			 268311 NHS Careers Bulk Fulfilment 43,481.91 
			 268637 NHS Careers Website 5,946.25 
			 268638 NHS Careers Helpline Apr-June 272,768.79 
			 269410 NHS Careers Helpline July to March 715,947.06 
			 270162 NHS Careers website July 2005-March 2006 16,225.00 
			 270575 Bulk fulfilment 2005-06 63,674.81 
			 July 2005-06 NHS Employers 422,111.00 
			
			  2006   
			 275126 NHS Careers Helpline April to September 2006 359,896.49 
			 275151 NHS Careers Bulk Fulfilment 85,969.89 
			 277447 NHS Careers Oct 2006 to March 2007 291,753.29 
			 278060 New Literature mailing 10,975.08 
			 2006-07 NHS Employers 1,035,983.00 
			
			 Total  7,141,084.27

NHS: Finance

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she plans to ensure that local councils which receive a targeted grant provided for making contractual arrangements with a host organisation to support a LINK spend all the grant for that purpose.

Rosie Winterton: The Department will allocate the targeted specific grant to local authorities with social services responsibility under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.
	While this grant will not be ring-fenced, the targeted grant enables us to target precise amounts to individual authorities. Local authorities will be under a statutory duty to establish local involvement networks (LINKs) and the grant amounts will be publicly available.
	We will be encouraging health overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) of local authorities to scrutinise the amount of money each host organisation receives in relation to the grant allocated to the local authority. We are working with the Centre for Public Scrutiny to ensure OSCs are supported in this role. LINKs will also be under a duty to produce an annual report to the Secretary of State, which will need to include details of the amounts of money allocated to them for their activities.

NHS: Nappies

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the promotion of  (a) reusable nappies and  (b) disposable nappies in NHS hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: It is for individual national health service hospitals and trusts to determine the practicalities of promoting the use of reusable and/or disposable nappies in their maternity units. We believe that parents and carers should be given information on the benefits of using either of these options to enable them to make an informed choice. Two comprehensive information booklets, The Pregnancy Book and Birth to Five, published by Central Office of Information on behalf of the Department, are given free to all first time mothers. Both booklets give detailed information on both types of nappies.

NHS: Vacancies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the three-month vacancy rate was for  (a) consultant psychiatrists,  (b) psychiatric nurses and  (c) all medical and dental staff in the NHS in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The latest published three-month vacancy rates as at 31 March 2006 for all medical and dental staff, consultants in psychiatry, all qualified nurses in community psychiatry and other nurses in psychiatry are shown in the table.
	
		
			   2006 three-month vacancy rate  (percentage) 
			 All medical and dental staff 1.8 
			 Consultants in psychiatry 4.0 
			 All qualified nurses in community psychiatry 1.6 
			 Other nurses in psychiatry 1.5 
			  Notes: 1. Three-month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March each year which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents). 2. Three-month vacancy rates are three-month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three-month vacancies plus staff in post from the previous September medical and dental and non-medical work force censuses (full time equivalent).  Source: March 2006 NHS Vacancy Survey

Primary Care Trusts: Public Appointments

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of the appointees to the boards of primary care trusts in each of the last five years declared political activity for  (a) the Labour party,  (b) the Conservative party,  (c) the Liberal Democrats and (d) other parties.

Rosie Winterton: The appointment of primary care trusts chairs and non-executive directors has been delegated to the Appointments Commission by the Secretary of State. I have, therefore, asked Anne Watts, Chair of the Commission, to respond to the hon. Gentleman directly with the detailed information requested.

Psychology: Manpower

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's target is for the number of clinical psychologists per head of population.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not have a target for the number of clinical psychologists per head of population. However, the number of clinical psychologists in headcount terms has increased from 4,038 in 1997 to 6,820 in 2006an increase of 2,782 or 69 per cent.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local needs and develop plans, in liaison with national health service trusts and primary care providers, to recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver high quality services.

Radiography: Manpower

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many radiographers were  (a) directly employed and  (b) employed by contractor in the NHS for breast cancer screening in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 May 2007
	 The numbers of radiographers directly engaged in breast screening are not collected centrally.
	The overall numbers of diagnostic radiographers directly employed by the national health service for the years 2003-05 were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 11,687 
			 2004 12,147 
			 2005 12,700 
		
	
	The numbers of radiographers employed by contractors are not collected centrally.

Radiotherapy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 165-66W, on radiotherapy, what the mean length of time between  (a) ready to start date and start date and  (b) decision to treat date and start date was in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by patient priority classification (i) E, (ii) U, (iii) R and (iv) D.

Rosie Winterton: The radiotherapy dataset project is not yet complete. Mandating the collection of the dataset is currently being sought through the Review of Central Returns Committee, and if approved, the radiotherapy dataset should become a full national health service operational standard in 2008. It will then be possible to derive radiotherapy waiting times analysis from the dataset.
	An audit of waiting times in radiotherapy was recently carried out by the Royal College of Radiologists, and was published in Clinical Oncology. The paper is available at:
	www.rcr.ac.uk/docs/general/pdf/YCLON855.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Sight Impaired

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as partially sighted in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were registered as blind in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Information for Jarrow constituency is not centrally available.
	The number of people who are registered as blind or partially sighted in South Tyneside, the North East of England and England, for all ages, at 31 March for the years 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006 are shown in the following two tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of people registered as blind at 31 March between 1997 and 2006 
			   1997  2000  2003  2006 
			 England 158,600 157,800 156,700 152,500 
			 North East 7,700 7,300 6,700 7,000 
			 South Tyneside 500 500 500 600 
			  Note: Registration is voluntary; therefore this does not give the total number of blind people.  Source: SSDA902 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of people registered as partially sighted at 31 March between 1997 and 2006 
			   1997  2000  2003  2006 
			 England 138,200 148,700 155,200 155,200 
			 North East 6,900 7,500 7,600 8,400 
			 South Tyneside 400 500 500 600 
			  Note: Registration is voluntary; therefore this does not give the total number of partially sighted people.  Source: SSDA902 
		
	
	Statistics on all registered blind and partially sighted persons are collected triennially from all 150 councils in England.

PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Travel

Greg Clark: To ask the Prime Minister whether the cost of his journey to and from Sedgefield on 10 May was met from public funds.

Tony Blair: The costs were met by the Labour Party.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his foreign visits for the period since 10 May 2007; who accompanied him on each visit; and what the total cost was of each visit, including transport and accommodation.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
	All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers. Information for 2007-08 will be published in the normal way.

Krishna Maharaj

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he  (a) has made and  (b) plans to make to (i) the Governor of Florida and (ii) the United States Administration on the situation of Mr. Krishna Maharaj.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have not made any representations in this case. On behalf of the Government, I have written to the Governor of Florida in support of Mr. Maharaj's clemency plea. No further representations are planned at this stage but we will continue to monitor the case closely.

Prime Ministerial Duties and Responsibilities

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1120-1W, on Prime Ministerial duties and responsibilities, what the practice under successive Administrations is, referred to in the answer of 9 December 2003,  Official Report, column 374W, to the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis), on ministerial duties; and on what occasions appropriate arrangements have been put in place in line with this practice.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 21 May 2007,  Official Report, columns 1120-21W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes are planned to the planning guidance in relation to mobile telephone masts; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government intend to review the permitted development rights contained in Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 which grant a general planning permission for some types of minor telecommunications development to take place without the need to submit a planning application to the local planning authority. The aim of the review is to ensure that permitted development rights remain fit for purpose, particularly in the light of technological advances in telecommunications. Following the completion of this review, we will consider what, if any, changes might be necessary to Government Planning Policy in relation to telecommunications.

Brownfield Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will give the figures referred to in the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1387-8W, on brownfield development, for the latest year available, broken down by region, county and local authority.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	Information on  (a) the percentage of new dwellings on previously-developed land (also referred to as brownfield land) as a proportion of all new dwellings including conversions  (b) the percentage of new dwellings on previously-residential land as a proportion of all dwellings on previously-developed land and  (c) the percentage of new dwellings on previously-residential land as a proportion of all new dwellings for 2005 has been placed in the Library.
	This information has been taken from the Department's Land Use Change Statistics (LUCS). Because of the way that LUCS data are collected, the statistics are variable from year to year and are usually given as an average over a multi-year period at a local authority level as this is considered more robust and representative. However, as requested, the latest figures available have been provided.

Buildings: Scotland

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Executive on the implementation of EU Directive 2002/91/EC, on energy performance of buildings in Scotland.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government have held several meetings and discussions with Scotland and Northern Ireland to discuss implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Scotland, as a devolved Administration, is not required to implement the directive in the same manner as England and Wales.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff funded by the public purse in her Department and its agencies are classified as people without posts.

Angela Smith: On 30 April there were 19 staff in the Department for Communities and Local Government without a post. There is a small team responsible for helping people to find new jobs when they are without a post. We do not hold information centrally about staff without posts in the Government Offices or in the Department's Agencies.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in her Department's balance sheet  (a) is in 2007 and  (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Angela Smith: All of Communities and Local Government sponsored PFI projects are procured and managed by local authorities. Currently therefore there are no private finance initiative (PFI) projects on the Communities and Local Government's (CLG) balance sheet. CLG does sponsor a number of local authority PFI projects and under current UK accounting standards all CLG sponsored projects are off balance sheet for local authorities. A list of local authority PFI projects sponsored by CLG are available on the HM Treasury signed deals list which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/0A/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value was of annual private finance initiative payments made by her Department from  (a) capital and  (b) revenue budgets in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government currently makes no annual private finance initiative payments. All of CLG sponsored PFI projects are procured and managed by local authorities. While CLG makes no direct PFI payments to PFI contractors, it does however provide revenue support to local authorities for the capital element only of PFI costs through grant payments. A list of local authority PFI projects sponsored by CLG is available on the HM Treasury signed deals list which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/0A/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what value of annual private finance initiative payments by her Department was classified as  (a) identifiable and  (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government does not directly make Private Finance Initiative payments to PFI contractors. However CLG does provide revenue support to local authorities for the capital element only of PFI costs through grant payments. All such payments are identifiable. All payments made by local authorities under PFI to private contractors are also identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism.
	A list of local authority PFI projects sponsored by CLG is available on the HM Treasury signed deals list which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/OA/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments was  (a) to repay capital and  (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government currently makes no annual Private Finance Initiative payments. Whilst CLG makes no direct payments to PFI contractors, it does however, provide revenue support to local authorities for the capital element only of PFI costs through grant payments. A list of local authority PFI projects sponsored by CLG is available on the HM Treasury signed deals list which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/EAF/OA/pfi_signed_projects_list_april_2007.xls

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people took sick leave for stress in her Department in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents.

Angela Smith: During the period from 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2007 32 members of staff in the Department for Communities and Local Government (and the predecessor Department the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister) took sick leave for stress. This represents about 1 per cent. of the average number of staff during that period.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's latest estimate is of the average cost of a Home Information Pack, including VAT, following the publication of the proposals in her consultation paper, Home Information Pack Update: towards 1 June.

Yvette Cooper: The market price for a Home Information Pack (HIP) will vary depending on a number of factors including the size, value and type of the property. The only new element in the HIP is the energy performance certificate which is likely to cost around 100. All other elements are currently paid for in the home buying and selling process. For the purposes of the revised RIA which will be published alongside revised regulations, we have estimated the cost of a HIP for be 370 plus VAT. However, we do expect competition in the market to drive down prices. Some providers have said they will offer HIPs on a no sale-no fee basis, and others have said they will offer HIPs for free.

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she plans to publish the findings of the Government-commissioned research monitoring the Home Information Pack trials; and whether the research will show  (a) how many sellers chose to include the Home Condition Report in the Home Information Pack,  (b) how many lawyers desired the inclusion of a Home Condition Report and  (c) the values of the sampled transactions.

Yvette Cooper: We will be publishing findings from the independent research into the area trials as the trials progress. The research will show how many sellers chose to include the home condition report in the home information pack. The decision whether or not to include a home condition report rests with the seller and is not a matter for conveyancers. We will not know the value of transactions involving HIPs until the transactions complete, which in many cases will not be until much later in the year. This information will be provided in the final report expected at the end of this year.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent on the marketing and advertising campaign to promote home information packs and energy performance certificates which commenced on 25 March.

Yvette Cooper: The total spend to date on the national marketing and advertising campaign to promote the home information pack that started on 25 March 2007 is 895,000. Of this, 825,000 has been spent on advertising and 70,000 on marketing.

Home Information Packs

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions she has had with the Treasury on the cost of implementing home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: The two Departments have discussed Home Information Packs at key stages in the development of the policy. These discussions have included implementation costs.

Home Information Packs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the re-mandation of Home Condition Reports will be considered as part of the review of the transitory arrangements for home information packs scheduled for December 2007.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 May.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many inspectors are trained to carry out the environmental survey for home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: There are more than 1,500 home inspectors and domestic energy assessors who are either accredited or have applied for accreditation.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place for monitoring the accuracy and completeness of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: Those responsible for marketing will be under a duty to make sure that home information packs comply with the Home Information Pack Regulations 2007. Local authority trading standards officers, who have considerable expertise at their command, will be responsible for enforcing the duties including the investigation of complaints that packs do not comply with the regulations. Enforcement authorities will have a range of enforcement options, including the service of a fixed penalty charge of 200.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to establish an effective scheme to provide professional indemnity insurance for home information pack inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: The insurance standards, set out in the Standards for Certification Schemes, were drawn up after extensive research and consultation with stakeholders, including the surveying and insurance industries. The standards specify minimum terms for acceptable indemnity insurance which will ensure that consumers are protected while being commercially viable for insurers and home inspectors.

Home Information Packs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with HM Treasury on how much value added tax is expected to be collected via Home Information Packs in the first year of operation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 16 May 2007
	VAT is already payable on most elements of the Home Information Pack (HIP) in the current buying and selling process. The only new element of the pack is the Energy Performance Certificate which is required as a consequence of European legislation. The Energy Savings Trust has established that Energy Performance Certificates could save homeowners around 300 a year on their fuel bills.
	Any additional costs imposed are expected to be broadly offset by savings, including savings made as a result of reductions both in the number of failed transactions and the amount wasted each time a transaction fails. As we expect that, overall, any additional costs will be broadly offset by cost savings we expect that the VAT impact of HIPs will be broadly neutral.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 792W, on home information packs, which organisation the concession agreement has been made with; what the total value is of the concession agreement contract; and if she will place a copy of the concession agreement in the Library.

Yvette Cooper: The concession agreement was awarded to Landmark Solutions, part of Landmark Information Group Ltd to operate the register of Home Condition Reports and Energy Performance Certificates for dwellings. Landmark operate this facility of behalf of Communities and Local Government by the way of a concession contract.
	The value of the concession agreement is entirely dependant on the volume of home condition reports and energy performance certificates lodged in the register. A lodgement fee of 1.15 is paid by a certification scheme or accreditation scheme each time a home condition report or energy performance certificate is lodged in the register.
	We intend to place a copy of the concession agreement in the Library once we have obtained agreement from Landmark and removed any commercially sensitive information.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has been invited by the National Audit Office to comment on its draft report on the use of consultants on the home improvement pack programme.

Yvette Cooper: Officials have had a number of discussions on the draft report with National Audit Office officials.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the introduction of home information packs on the number of house sales prior to 1 June 2007.

Yvette Cooper: Given that a number of estate agents are running promotional campaigns to get sellers to list properties early, it would be no surprise if the number of properties marketed for sale in advance of home information packs were affected. However, short term fluctuations in the volume of new listings are already a common feature of the housing market. Factors such as interest rates are likely to be a far more important determinant of the number of house sales.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether domestic energy inspectors will be required to have Criminal Record Bureau checks.

Yvette Cooper: The standards set for accreditation schemes prescribe a Criminal Record Bureau check as mandatory requirement to be undertaken on all potential Domestic Energy Assessors when they apply to join an Energy Assessor Accreditation Scheme.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) home inspectors and  (b) domestic energy inspectors have been both trained and accredited.

Yvette Cooper: I refer to the hon. Gentleman to the statement made to the House by my right. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State on 22 May.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of whether the cost of home information packs will be higher than the national average figure in  (a) London and  (b) the South East.

Yvette Cooper: The price of a Home Information Pack will be set by the market and not by Government. The cost of compiling a Home Information Pack will vary depending on a number of factors including the size, value and type of the property.

Home Information Packs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of the disclosure of information in home information packs on the security of personal identity; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 17 May 2007
	We have consulted with the Identity Theft Unit at the Home Office, who are satisfied that Home Information Packs do not pose a significant risk in this area.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice she has received on the compatibility of the provision of architects' and surveyors' flat layout drawings in leases as photocopies in home information packs with copyright law.

Yvette Cooper: The Home Information Pack regulations provide that the pack must include a copy of the lease where a leasehold property is marketed for sale. The lease will usually include a description of the property and a plan of its layout. The regulations provide that the lease can be an official copy of the lease obtained from the Land Registry, the original lease or an edited version of the lease if it is only available in that form. Where a potential buyer asks for a copy of the lease, this can be provided without breaching copyright law. As would be the case currently, sellers who wish to provide copies of other information that is subject to copyright restrictions should seek permission to reproduce the material.

Home Information Packs

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Good Practice Guidance for local authorities on delivering property searches will be available by the time home information packs become mandatory on 1st June.

Yvette Cooper: An announced in the House on 22 May, Home Information Packs will be introduced from 1 August 2007 on a phased basis. The draft good practice guidance for local authorities and personal searchers 'Delivering Property Searches' was issued for consultation by the Department on 1 May 2007. The period to receive responses ends on 26 June 2007 and we intend to issue the final guidance shortly afterwards.

Home Information Packs: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from  (a) individuals and  (b) businesses in the London borough of Bexley on home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: I have received representations from individuals and businesses in the London borough of Bexley via all three of the Members of Parliament for the borough.

Homebuy Scheme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cash value has been of the equity purchased by social tenants under Social Homebuy purchases.

Yvette Cooper: The average cash value of the equity purchased by social tenants under the Social Homebuy pilot scheme is 117,125. This figure reflects that many of the early sales have involved tenants buying their home outright where they did not have a Right to Buy or Right to Acquire.

Homelessness: Hostels

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 657W, on homelessness: hostels, how many single homeless people are living in hostel accommodation being upgraded under the Hostel Capital Improvement Programme.

Yvette Cooper: There are currently 175 homelessness projects in the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme. The HCIP not only covers hostels but also day centres and other projects that provide training and real work experience for people who are homeless or living in a hostel. There are currently around 7,500 bedspaces in hostels in the programme. The Department does not collect information on the numbers of single homeless people living in hostel accommodation.

Homelessness: Hostels

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which bids for the recent Hostel Capital Improvement Programme funding were unsuccessful.

Yvette Cooper: The 90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme ends in March 2008 and has been fully allocated with the aim of making hostels places of change. Where HCIP projects have been unable to proceed for reasons of planning or where a suitable site was subsequently lost, we have re-allocated the funds which has not involved formal bidding. In these cases new projects have been brought into the programme where they fit with the programme's aims and are supported by the relevant local authority. Where a local authority identifies a possible project, they are advised to approach CLG even though the programme is fully allocated in order to take advantage of any slippage which may occur.

Housing: Energy

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 124W, on housing: energy, how long it takes to train  (a) a domestic energy assessor and  (b) a home inspector.

Yvette Cooper: The time taken for an individual to qualify as a home inspector or domestic energy assessor would depend on their previous experience and the amount of training they require in order to meet the required standards.
	Currently advertised training schemes for home inspectors can vary between three and 12 months, depending on the starting competency level of the candidate. Domestic energy assessor courses range between four and 12 weeks, with the duration dependant on the initial level of knowledge and competence of the candidate, although at least one other provider is offering an intensive course lasting one week.
	To meet the needs of candidates who are already employed and cannot study full-time, most courses comprise several days of assessed workshops, together with distance learning carried out in the candidates own time. If a candidate wished to undertake their distance learning on a full-time basis, they could complete their course in a shorter period.

Housing: Energy

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 124W, on housing: energy, how many  (a) home inspectors and  (b) domestic energy assessors will qualify on 1 June.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 May.

Housing: Inspections

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) energy assessors and  (b) home inspectors are qualified and available to produce energy performance certificates; and what estimate she has made of the number who will be qualified and available from 1 June 2007.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 22 May 2007.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how long it takes to qualify as a  (a) home inspector and  (b) domestic energy assessor on a Government-approved scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The time taken for an individual to qualify as a home inspector or domestic energy assessor would depend on their previous experience and the amount of training they require in order to meet the required standards.
	Currently advertised training schemes for home inspectors can vary between three and 12 months, depending on the starting competency level of the candidate. Domestic energy assessor courses range between four and 12 weeks, with the duration dependant on the initial level of knowledge and competence of the candidate, although at least one other provider is offering an intensive course lasting one week.
	To meet the needs of candidates who are already employed and cannot study full-time, most courses comprise several days of assessed workshops, together with distance learning carried out in the candidates own time. If a candidate wished to undertake their distance learning on a full-time basis, they could complete their course in a shorter period.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the website listing accredited home inspectors at www.hcrregister.com has cost  (a) to establish and  (b) to run; and what proportion of those costs has been met by her Department.

Yvette Cooper: There is no cost to the Government on the operation of www.hcrregister.com. The contract to provide this service was let by a concession agreement entirely funded by the successful service provider.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of qualified home inspectors she expects the website www.hcrregister.com to list.

Yvette Cooper: The register will hold names of all certified Home Inspectors from 1 August 2007. These data are provided by Home Inspector Certification schemes. Due to the Data Protection Act, full contact details of certified Home Inspectors are only available if the individual has consented for these details to be used in this register.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the website listing accredited home inspectors to go back online.

Yvette Cooper: The Energy Performance Certificate and Home Condition Report Register (www.hcrregister.com) was down for maintenance for 10 minutes at 2.30 pm on Friday 18 May 2007 while the explanatory text for users was updated.
	The purpose of this site is to allow users to retrieve existing Energy Performance Certificates and Home Condition Reports, or to verify assessors or inspectors to ensure they are accredited or certificated.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether home inspectors registered at www.hcrregister.com will have to hold Criminal Records Bureau clearance.

Yvette Cooper: All home inspectors must have a standard Criminal Record Bureau check before they are allowed to carry out their duties.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to include an assessment of the individual performance of home inspectors on the www.hcrregister.com website.

Yvette Cooper: There are no plans to include an assessment of each individual Home Inspector on any central database.

Housing: Inspections

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how frequently she expects home inspector details to be updated on the website www.hcrregister.com; and how quickly details will be updated once the status of an inspector listed changes.

Yvette Cooper: From 1 August 2007, Home Inspector Certification Schemes are required to provide a daily update on the status of Home Inspectors, which is run by the Register Operator at the end of each day. The details on the website will reflect the status of Home Inspectors at the close of business the previous day.

Housing: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many assessments were carried out in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) each English region and  (c) each London local authority under the Housing Health and Safety ratings system (HHSRS) in 2006-07; how many assessments under the HHSRS last year in (i) each English region and (ii) each London local authority were on properties in (A) the private rented sector, (B) local authorities and arms-length management organisations and (C) the registered social landlord sector;
	(2)  how many properties in the private rented sector were assessed under the Housing Health and Safety ratings system as representing a  (a) Category 1 hazard and  (b) Category 1 hazard (crowding and space) in (i) each English region and (ii) each London local authority in 2006-07;
	(3)  how many council and arms-length management organisation properties were assessed as having  (a) Housing Health and Safety ratings system Category 1 hazard and  (b) Category 1 hazard (crowding and space) in each (i) English region and (ii) London local authority in 2006-07;
	(4)  how many registered and social landlord properties were assessed as representing a Housing Health and Safety ratings system  (a) Category 1 hazard and  (b) Category 1 hazard (crowding and space) in (i) each English region and (ii) each London local authority in 2006-07.

Yvette Cooper: The Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) only came in force on 3 April 2006 so the Department has not yet collected data on its use from local authorities. The Department will be collecting information on housing assessments through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) returned by local authorities which will provide data as at April 2007. It is usual for the Department to publish the HSSA and BPSA at the end of the year subject to the data quality.
	The HSSA data will include figures for dwellings with category 1 hazards, the estimated cost of removing the category 1 hazards in private sector dwellings and the number of private sector dwellings made free of category 1 hazards or demolished as a direct result of action by the local authority during 2006-07.
	The BPSA data will include figures for the number of local authority homes that do not meet the statutory minimum standard for housing and the costs to put the defects right.
	The English House Condition Survey will provide a national estimate of category 1 hazards for its 2006 findings, which we expect to publish early 2008. This will provide estimates of the number of category 1 hazards in each type of housing stock at the national level.
	The Department is also committed to undertaking a detailed review the operation of the HHSRS once the system has been in operation for a while.

Housing: Standards

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether social housing properties assessed as representing a Category 1 hazard under the Housing Health and Safety ratings system will be deemed to meet the Decent Homes standard.

Yvette Cooper: Definition and Guidance published by the Department in June 2006 states that the first of the four criteria a decent home must meet is that it meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing. Dwellings which fail to meet this criterion are those containing one or more hazards assessed as serious ('category 1') under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Housing: Standards

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which local authorities have not yet received the additional money allocated for meeting the decent homes standard due to not reaching the designated quality standard;
	(2)  how many local authorities had not been awarded 2 star status for housing as at 31 March;
	(3)  which local authorities have received a 2 star inspection award for housing.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 23 May 2007
	The need to achieve a 2 star rating from the Housing Inspectorate in order to qualify for decent homes funding applies only to arms length management organisations (ALMOs) set up by local authorities that are seeking additional Government resources to bring their housing stock up to the decent homes standard.
	57 ALMOs have been set up since 2002 under the first five ALMO bidding rounds. 56 of these have now been inspected. 46 have achieved at least the necessary 2 star rating to qualify for funding. Eight have been awarded 0 or 1 star ratings and are preparing for or awaiting the results of re-inspection. Two have recently had initial inspections and are awaiting the results. The following table lists the local authorities involved, and funding provided.
	
		
			  ALMO funding awarded up to the end of 2007-08 
			
			  Local authorities with ALMOs on rounds 1-5 that have achieved at least a 2 star rating from the Housing Inspectorate 
			 Ashfield 55,320,000 
			 Derby 97,176,000 
			 Hounslow 99,650,000 
			 Kirklees 149,800,000 
			 Rochdale 106,300,000 
			 Stockton 63,000,000 
			 Westminster 74,000,000 
			 Wigan 137,300,000 
			 Barnsley 141,600,000 
			 Blyth Valley 48,358,000 
			 Bolton 157,560,000 
			 Brent 67,997,000 
			 Carrick 23,060,000 
			 Cheltenham 31,440,000 
			 Colchester 35,710,000 
			 Hillingdon 59,300,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 43,439,000 
			 Leeds 382,461,657 
			 Oldham 86,400,000 
			 Waltham Forest 17,000,000 
			 Barnet 48,783,400 
			 Gateshead 104,140,000 
			 High Peak 9,306,000 
			 Islington 84,523,200 
			 Newcastle 190,820,000 
			 Poole 23,792,120 
			 Sheffield 279,364,060 
			 Solihull 50,245,000 
			 South Lakeland 14,715,000 
			 Warrington 30,199,680 
			 Bury 16,560,000 
			 Haling 104,548,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 92,062,500 
			 Manchester 47,406,000 
			 Newark and Sherwood 26,810,000 
			 Rotherham 102,500,000 
			 Sandwell 126,000,000 
			 Gloucester (1) 
			 Newham 78,113,000 
			 Stockport 40,360,000 
			 Wear Valley 5,000,000 
			   
			  Local authorities with ALMOs that have been inspected, but have not yet achieved a 2 star rating 
			 Easington  
			 Bassetlaw  
			 Eastbourne  
			 Nottingham  
			 Wolverhampton  
			 Slough  
			 South Tyneside  
			 Southend  
			   
			  Local authorities with ALMOs awaiting the results of their initial inspections 
			 Doncaster  
			 Hackney  
			   
			  Local authorities with ALMOs yet to be inspected 
			 Lambeth  
			 (1) To be confirmed

Local Government: Reform

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost of her proposals for local government reform; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The proposals for local government unitary status are not the Secretary of State's but the proposing councils' themselves.

Ordnance Survey

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions her Department had with the Minister for the third sector with responsibility for the Office of Public Sector Information between 1 June 2006 and 13 July 2006 on a complaint made against Ordnance Survey by Intelligent Addressing Limited.

Angela Smith: There were no discussions between the Department and the Minister for the third sector on the complaint made between those dates.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of possession actions by social landlords which led to households losing their homes in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2004-05; and how many such cases involved (i) single people and (ii) families with children.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the number of evictions in respect of registered social landlord tenants in England in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Number of evictions (on all grounds) 
			 2004-05 13,400 
			 2005-06 12,841 
			  Source: Data from annual Housing Corporation Regulatory Statistical Returns. 
		
	
	The data cannot be further broken down to show the number of single people and families with children.
	Communities and Local Government have asked local authority landlords in England to submit data on tenants subject to possession proceedings for 2005-06. While data have been returned, they are not considered to be of reliable quality in this first year of data collection. We are working to address these issues and will have a clearer view for 2006-07.

Social Rented Housing: Insurance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps she plans to take to promote the take-up of insure with rent schemes among uninsured households; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with  (a) the insurance industry,  (b) local government and  (c) housing associations on promoting insure with rent schemes among uninsured households;
	(3)  what guidance she has issued to local authorities and housing associations on promoting insure with rent schemes among uninsured households.

Yvette Cooper: The Government recognise the important role of insurance as a financial tool, enabling households to protect against potential losses arising from risks to assets such as the home or a car.
	Registered social landlords and local authorities are required to provide high standards of customer care. Landlords should consider all aspects of this, including insurance.
	The Housing Corporation has issued guidance on facilitating access to insurance in its publication 'Insurance for All'.
	The Housing Corporation has met the Financial Inclusion Taskforce and the Department for Work and Pensions to discuss the role of housing associations in promoting financial inclusion.
	The Corporation and social landlords have also met with representatives from the insurance industry, to discuss how best to ensure coherent advice and good practice in the social housing sector.
	The Department has recently received in invitation to join a Ministerial Working Group on financial inclusion, which will determine detailed priorities for financial inclusion policy, including insurance, which is currently under consideration.

Thames Gateway: Finance

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will use the announcement of the comprehensive spending review settlement to increase the funding to the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

Yvette Cooper: Decisions on the future funding for the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation will be taken once the outcome of the comprehensive spending review is known and in the light of the proposals in the corporate plan they are preparing for financial years 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Travellers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities do not meet the minimum standards set in relation to the provision of Travellers' sites.

Meg Munn: The Government have established a new framework to increase the number of authorised Gypsy and Traveller sites in line with need. Local authorities are required to undertake an assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers in their area, and we understand that these assessments are completed or underway in 90 per cent. of authorities. Regional assemblies then determine need at a regional level and allocate pitch numbers to individual local authorities in regional spatial strategies.
	Local authorities will then need to identify land to deliver the pitch numbers identified in their development plan documents.

Written Questions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to question 130747, tabled by the hon. Member for Brent, East on 27 March 2007.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 21 May 2007
	I have now replied to the hon. Lady's question.

Written Questions

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will answer question 136372, on brownfield development, tabled by the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells on 8 May 2007.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Gentleman's question.